Emerald and Obsidian God of Death
by ShirosakiLaw
Summary: Harry is raised as Ichigo's little brother after being rescued from the Dursleys. Unfortunately for Harry; the wizarding world isn't quite ready to give up its saviour. Can the brothers stay strong against Aizen, Voldie AND Dumbles?
1. Chapter 1: The rescue

Chapter 1: The rescue

-o0o-

Five year old Harry James Potter, youngest and undoubtedly smallest, resident of No 4 Privet Drive took in a shuddering breath as he tried to ignore the pain in his body. His ribs, which had always been visible, were now sticking out of his flesh after the beating he had received from his uncle earlier that day. He took in a lungful of air and had to fight back a whimper as the action forced the ribs further out of his small frame.

It had all started when he was working in the garden. He'd been weeding his Aunt's flower bed again. He didn't mind this chore. He liked being out in the garden. It was the only time he was allowed out of the house after all. Anyway, he'd been weeding the flower bed closest to the big tree in the back yard when he'd heard it, a faint, hissing voice.

 _"-stupid humans….messing up my nest again…..should bite the little fat one but I'd probably get indigestion-"_

Now, Harry was a five year old child and like any other five year old child he got curious easily. Unlike most children however, he knew when to keep a grip on his curiosity, something that a normal child should not have had to do. The hissing continued and finally his curiosity won over his fear of punishment so Harry carefully began to make his way over to the roots of the tree, the place where the voice was coming from. He found a little garden snake, barely a foot in length, possibly a little more but Harry wasn't sure. It was a light green in color and there were some faint markings although he couldn't make out a pattern. It was a grass snake, nothing more. So why had he heard a voice?

Just then the snake looked up at him and let out an angry hiss.

 _"-Stupid human hatchling!-"_ it said. _"-Now I am going to have to find another nest…again!-"_

 _"-I'm sorry-"_ Harry told it, not realizing he was slipping into Parseltongue. _"-I won't move your nest if you don't want me to-"_

The snake looked up at Harry in astonishment. Never before had it encountered a speaker. Sure, there were rumors of them in the snake community and who could forget about Voldemort but to actually meet one in person, and such a young one at that…

 _"-You can understand me?-"_ The little green snake asked him, just for confirmation that the kid was indeed speaking the snake language.

 _"-Yes-"_ Harry replied cautiously.

 _"-Then you are a speaker!-"_ it exclaimed, jubilant to have its suspicions confirmed.

 _"-A speaker?-"_ Harry asked, confused.

 _"-Yes-"_ the snake answered. _"-You have the gift to speak to serpents. It is a rare and valuable gift. There have only ever been few speakers and many of them were a long time ago. There was one a few years ago but not many snakes followed him. He was cruel and twisted. There was a strange taste about him. Most did not like him,-"_ The snake paused for a moment and studied Harry, taking in his over-sized clothes, messy pitch black hair and emerald green eyes. _"-Tell me hatchling, what do the humans call you? I go by the name of Sylvestra-"_

Before Harry could answer the light was blocked from behind him. Sylvestra hissed and quickly began to retreat into a small hole beside a large root. Before Harry could turn around he was seized by the back of his over-sized shirt and hauled into the air. He was turned and found himself looking into the ever purple face of his 'loving' uncle. His face was purpler than usual and seemed to have taken on a slightly greenish tinge too. Harry wasn't sure how those two colors could show on his uncle's face but they were there.

"What do you think you're doing Freak!" his uncle spat, venom dripping from each syllable.

Harry froze completely, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. Why now? His uncle wasn't supposed to be home for another five hours at the most. Then he remembered.

His family were having guests over tonight, some important visitors. Apparently the company that they represented were interested in a partnership with his uncle's company and it had been left to Vernon to impress them. How could he have forgotten? His uncle would only be at work until two O'clock today.

"Well!" his uncle bellowed, his face turning an even nastier shade of purple as he received no answer from his nephew.

On a split decision Vernon began to make his way to the back door, slamming it open and marching into the kitchen to see his wife busily scrubbing down the kitchen work tops. Everything had to look perfect for their guests tonight after all.

"Vernon?" she questioned as he stormed past her.

"Later Pet," he told her. "I need to deal with the freak first." He said the word 'freak' as if it was the foulest curse word he knew. Petunia looked at her nephew and her eyes narrowed.

"What did he do this time?" she questioned.

"I'll explain later," Vernon replied before making his way into the living room. He removed the fine rug from the center of the floor before dropping his nephew heavily onto the cold, hard, wooden floor.

Harry had blocked most of the next hour out of his memory. The only thing he could remember after that was Vernon tossing him into his cupboard. He was glad for that small mercy at least. He wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious.

Suddenly he heard the sound of the doorbell ringing. He forced himself not to jump, that would only make the pain force. He'd learned that from experience.

The sound of thunder assaulted his young ears so he guessed that his uncle was coming down the stairs, no doubt having been looking through one of the up stairs windows to get a glance at their guests before they actually entered the house.

Carefully Harry raised himself off his dirty mattress and kneeled beside the door. His legs shook slightly but he paid them no heed as he carefully looked through the tiny peep hole in the door. He often used this little peep hole when his family had visitors and they didn't want Harry to be seen. At least he could get a look at the people entering the house.

He heard the sound of the front door opening and his uncle greeting the new comers.

"Mr and Mrs Kurosaki!" he half bellowed. "Wonderful to meet you. My name is Vernon Dursley. Please come in." The sound of many footsteps came from the other side of the cupboard door before the front entrance was closed. The family was now in the house.

"Thank you Mr. Dursley," came a light, musical voice from the doorway. Harry guessed that it was Mrs. Kurosaki. "I hope you don't mind but we brought our children with us. We were unable to find a suitable caretaker for them during this meeting."

"No problem at all!" his uncle replied jovially. "I have a son myself, Dudley. What are their names?"

"Our oldest is Ichigo. He's five while our two younger daughters are two. Their names are Yuzu and Karin. Karin has the darker hair," explained Mrs. Kurosaki. Harry could clearly hear the affection in her voice as she talked about her children. It was somehow different to what his aunt and Uncle said regarding their own son, certainly a lot different from the way they treated him too.

Soon his uncle and the Kurosakis were walking past his cupboard. Harry noticed through his little hole that the boy, Ichigo, had bright hair. It looked orange in the dim hall light. The two younger girls were holding hands and walking beside their mother. Her face was too high up for Harry to get a good few but she had long hair. One girl had light brown hair while the other had black. The father was a little shorter than the female and he had black hair and dark eyes. He gave off a playful nature. Just before passing the cupboard the orange haired boy, Ichigo, turned his head and seemed to look straight at Harry. The black haired boy's eyes widened. There was no way that Ichigo could see him was there? And yet the amber eyes were completely locked with Harry's emerald ones.

Soon everyone except Harry was gathered in the kitchen and the smell of food and the noise of casual conversation reached his ears.

-o0o-

Ichigo followed his parents into the house. He studied them as his mother introduced them all in English. He'd begun to learn it in school but he couldn't really understand what was being said.

His mother ruffled his hair as his name was mentioned and he looked up at her, giving her a smile.

As they made their way into the house Ichigo looked around. The first thing that he noticed was that the place was far too clean. What did they do all day? Just sit clean the house?

As he passed the cupboard under the stairs he looked at it. He thought he saw something. There it was. Two green shapes in the dark. They looked like eyes. He felt his eyes lock with the pair under the stairs. Who was that?

Soon they were all gathered in the living room. He looked around and saw a lot of pictures of a fat kid about his age. There were some photos of when the kid was younger but he ignored them for the moment. He noticed, yet again, that the room was spotlessly clean. Did these people have an obsession with cleanliness or something? It was beginning to look like it.

Soon the big man's wife and the kid in the photos came into the room. The kid looked bigger in real life than he did in the photos and the woman was tall and bony with a horse shaped face. He privately thought that she wasn't nearly as nice looking as his mother.

Soon they were all gathered around the dining room table and the adults were having their own conversation, leaving the children to their own devices for the moment. Ichigo looked around again. There were plenty of pictures of Dudley, the fat boy, but there were no other pictures. Who did those green eyes under the stairs belong to?

He looked around again. The fat kid was wailing about something and the horse faced woman was trying to keep him quiet by giving him a plate of ice-cream. It was the biggest plate of ice-cream that Ichigo had ever seen. It made him slightly sick to look at it actually. How could anyone eat so much?

He looked at his mother and quietly asked if he could go to the bathroom. He didn't want to watch Dudley eat the ice-cream.

His mom relayed the message to horse-face and was given instructions. She repeated them to him and he smiled and began to make his way to the bathroom. He entered the room and as he expected it was completely spotless. This was just creepy.

Soon he was finished and making his way back down the stairs. He paused when he reached the bottom and peered carefully into the cupboard, looking through the tiny crack from which he'd glimpsed the green eyes. As he got closer he noticed a smell that he'd not noticed before. It was slightly faint, covered over by layers of spray. It was sweet and slightly sickly was a bitter tang. He recognized that smell. It was blood.

He rushed back to the dining room where the adults were talking and immediately went for his father. His mom was great but his dad was a doctor. If there was blood then he'd know what to do. He always knew what to do when there was blood.

-o0o-

Harry heard the sound of light footsteps pass his cupboard. He looked through the tiny hole and noticed that it was the boy, Ichigo, coming down from the bathroom. He hadn't noticed him to upstairs but that wasn't really surprising. He'd curled up on his mattress when he couldn't understand what the adults were talking about. His body really hurt this time. His uncle had been rougher than usual.

He heard Ichigo say something to the adults but he didn't recognize the words that were spoken. His aunt had said that the guests were Japanese. He'd looked that up in the school library.

His teachers said that he was pretty smart for his age, smarter than his cousin anyways. He'd been thrilled at that, until his aunt and uncle found out about it that is. He'd received a beating when his and Dudley's report cards had come home and he'd scored much higher than his cousin. Lets just say that he made sure to always do worse than his cousin in school from now on. Out of school was another story however. He spent as much time as he could in the library reading. It was one of the only places that he was safe from Dudley and his gang as they did not want to set foot inside the building. Harry couldn't understand why though. He loved the library, but I digress.

Anyway, Harry had looked up Japan in the library. It was only a children's dictionary but it had been enough to get him curious. He'd spent the next few hours of his time looking up Japan in the library. He was fascinated. It sounded like an amazing place to the five year old. He wished he could go there.

Footsteps brought him back to the present and he sensed that there were people outside his cupboard door. Then he heard his uncle's voice.

"There is no blood in this house, the boy must be imagining things," His uncle was saying.

"I don't think so," came the voice of Mrs. Kurosaki. "I can smell it also. It is rather hard to miss when you concentrate on it. Now Ichi, where did you say the smell was coming from?"

Small steps came closer to his cupboard and something tapped against the door, a hand perhaps?

"Are you sure Ichi?" asked Mr. Kurosaki.

Ichigo must have nodded because Harry heard the sound of the lock on the outside of the door being unlocked.

"Now see here," his uncle began. "This is my house! You have no right to search it."

"And I am a doctor," said Mr. Kurosaki. "It is my right as a doctor to investigate anything that looks suspicious. A locked door and the smell of blood is pretty damn suspicious to me now move out of my way!"

The last part was accompanied by the noise of something being shoved out of the way. Finally the door to the cupboard was opened.

Harry lifted his arm to shield his eyes to the bright light. He heard gasps from the woman and he suddenly felt a shadow over him. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the amber eyes from earlier. The eyes of Ichigo Kurosaki. Soon Ichigo was pushed out of the way by his father who immediately began to study Harry carefully.

"Now see here!" his uncle said again. "I demand you leave at once!"

"Oh, don't worry Mr. Dursley," said Mrs. Kurosaki. Her voice was cold enough to freeze liquid nitrogen. "We plan on leaving. And we're taking this boy with us. You are clearly not fit to take care of him."

"You will do no such thing!" came his aunt's shrill cry from the kitchen. "The freak will stay here!"

"Why do you call him a freak?" asked Mrs. Kurosaki. "Is he not your family?"

"That brat is no family of mine!" his aunt spat. "He's the spawn of my disgusting freak sister! She and her useless oaf of a husband went and got themselves killed and we got saddled with the brat! I swore to get rid of that freakishness when we took him in!"

"Freakishness?" Mr. Kurosaki asked, still concentrating on Harry. The five year old could feel himself beginning to lose consciousness from the blood loss. Why did he feel so heavy?

Meanwhile Isshin Kurosaki's mind was racing. Freakishness? Did that mean that the boy could see spirits? If so then that would explain a lot. The boy seemed to have an aura of reiatsu around him but it was wild and un-accessed, like Ichigo's at the moment. It looked like it would be strong though. The child would be gifted, that was a certainty. He had to get the kid out of here.

The injuries were bad. It was a miracle that the child was still alive let alone awake. The bright green eyes were looking around, first studying him then his wife and finally settling on Ichigo. Ichigo smiled at the green eyed boy and Isshin was surprised when the green eyed boys' lips twitched upwards slightly before he closed his eyes.

"We're taking him," Isshin said with finality as he stood up, child bundled in his arms. "Masaki, grab Karin and Yuzu. Ichigo, follow me to the car."

His son did as asked and together they made their way to the rental car with his wife and daughters behind him. Masaki put Karin and Yuzu into the back of the rental car while Ichigo climbed into the other side. Masaki climbed into the driver's side. Isshin would hold the child in his arms until they reached the nearest hospital. He wanted the child checked out as quickly as possible.

A bellow was heard behind him and he turned to see Vernon Dursley at the front door with Petunia just behind him.

"Fine!" Vernon bellowed. "But don't expect to bring the freak back here! If you take him you deal with him. He's nothing but trouble!"

"We'll be the judges of that," Isshin said coldly before climbing into the car and almost slamming the door shut.

Soon the family were on the road heading for the closest hospital. Isshin looked down at the bundle in his arms. He would take care of this child. There was no doubt about that in his mind.

In the back seat Ichigo was having similar thoughts. He'd seen the black haired boy first. He'd felt something when their eyes had met. He wasn't sure what it had been but there was one thing he knew for sure. He was going to protect him. No matter what.

His mom always said that when something was important to you then you should do all you can to protect it. The bundle in his dads arms was important to him. He wasn't sure how or why he felt this way but he did and nothing was going to change his mind.

Harry Potter was now a part of the family.


	2. Chapter 2: Catching up the years

Chapter 2: Catching up the years

-o0o-

It was now dawn in the town of Karakura. The sun was just barely peaking above the horizon and the air was still, peaceful. That is until...

"GOOD...MORNING!" Came a call from a house in the residential district, specifically the house belonging to the Kurosaki family. A series of bangs and crashes followed, punctuated by the odd curse thrown in there for good measure. Now, let us journey inside that house shall we?

"Damn it old man!" cursed the first teenager. He had slightly tanned skin with amber eyes and bright orange hair. He was quite tall for his age and of a lean build but clearly had some muscle but not in the steroid kinda way. This was Ichigo Kurosaki. Right now he was glaring daggers at his father, Isshin Kurosaki.

"When will you ever learn?" came an exasperated voice from the second teenager. This teenager was far different from Ichigo. Unlike Ichigo his hair was a deep black, so dark that when in the sun it seemed to change to a dark purple or blue. Through his hair he had dark green streaks. The hair was a lot longer than Ichigo's and fell gracefully to a few inches below the teen's shoulder blades. If it was any shorter then it would be impossible to tame. He'd tried everything after all. Growing it out and tying it back was the only way to control it. Right now it was tied back at the nape of his neck by a dark emerald ribbon. The emerald ribbon matched the boys eyes. His skin was white but not in an unhealthy way. It helped to illuminate his eyes. Bangs covered his forehead upon which rested a lightning bolt shaped scar. This was Harry James Potter. Well, what I should really say is that it WAS Harry James Potter before he was adopted by the Kurosaki family. Now he went by the name Akira Kurosaki.

Right now Akira and Ichigo were holding their father still after he'd attacked them (again) to wake them up. The routine had gotten old fast but Isshin refused to stop, saying that it would toughen his boys up.

"On the count of three," said Ichigo, nodding his head towards the open window.

"Okay," replied Akira.

"One," began Ichigo.

"Two," continued Akira.

"Now boys," began Isshin nervously. "There isn't a need to-"

"Three!" The Kurosaki boys called out and flung Isshin through the open window. How he never seemed to get any injuries from these encounters was frankly beyond the teenagers but they ignored it for the most part.

Ichigo sighed and began to dress in his school uniform after making sure the curtains were pulled over. He heard his father shouting something in the street up at them but didn't pay him any attention. Instead Ichigo turned to study the room he and Akira shared. There were plenty of rooms in the house but they preferred to share. It had been like that ever since Akira joined the family. You see, Akira had nightmares. No, these were not your usual nightmares. They were bad, really bad. Akira would often wake in the middle of the night, chilled from the cold sweat running down his body and gasping for breath after letting out a scream. Ichigo was the only one that seemed to keep the nightmares at bay. As long as he was close there was nothing for Akira to fear from sleep. Their beds were close to each other, only separated by a small bedside table which held their alarm clock. (rarely use because of their father) It was a decent sized room, definitely big enough for both of them and they felt comfortable in it. Akira looked at the window and began pulling on his grey trousers, white shirt and then pulling on the uniform jacket. Akira let out a small yawn as the pair made their way downstairs.

"Good morning Ichi-nii! Good morning Aki-nii!" chirped their twelve year old sister, Yuzu Kurosaki, the younger twin of Karin Kurosaki. She was just setting the food for breakfast on the table as they entered the kitchen.

"Morning Yuzu," greeted Ichigo, grabbing a slice of toast.

"Hey there Yuzu," Akira replied with a small smile.

"Are you two ready for school?" Yuzu asked them.

"Pretty much," replied Ichigo. He slung his bag over his shoulder and began to make his way to the door. Akira followed close behind, grabbing a couple slices of toast and a small juice box.

"C'ya later Yuzu!" he called as he left the house. Akira glanced down at his watch and saw that they'd be late if they didn't hurry. He relaid the message to Ichigo who immediately picked up the pace. Akira jogging slightly to keep up as his legs were shorter than Ichigo's. It annoyed Akira to no end that he was so much shorter than his brother even though they were only a few months apart in age. Akira just barely reached Ichigo's shoulder for crying out loud! He hated being short. He wouldn't mind so much if he wasn't the shortest male in their year group, (or the one the year below them) really he wouldn't. Karin never stopped teasing him about it.

"Don't forget we need to stop by that street to drop off those flowers for the ghost," Akira reminded Ichigo.

Now, you may be wondering what they're talking about. Well, you see these two boys were no ordinary teenagers. Both of them are able to see the spirits of the departed (whether dearly loved and missed is not known) Anyway, They can see, talk to and even touch these spirits. Karin can see the spirits too but not nearly as clearly and Yuzu can't see them at all, neither can their father for that matter (or at least he pretends that he can't see them) but they aren't aware of that. Last night a gang of idiots had been messing about when they'd knocked over an offering left to a little girl who had been hit by a car a few months ago. Ichigo and Akira had been walking home and had seen them. Needless to say they were not happy in the slightest. They had stood up for the girl who couldn't stick up for herself and had promised to return the next day with a new batch of flowers for her. She was thrilled.

Pretty soon they reached the school where they were greeted enthusiastically by Keigo. Akira had to hold back a groan. The kid really got on his nerves. He wondered why Ichigo hadn't punched the kids lights out yet instead of just stepping out of the way to let the kid fall flat on his face. Mizuru greeted them a little more calmly and asked them how their classes were going. Just then Tatsuki and Orihime Inoue entered the room.

Tatsuki was their best friend. She was a tomboy through and through. She had dark spiky hair which she kept short and only wore the skirt because it was mandatory for all girls. Any other time she would be wearing a pair of jeans. A recent addition to her outfit was a necklace shaped like six dark violet leaves. She was tough, really tough. They had first met while they were training at the same dojo when they were younger. They'd been friends ever since. Orihime on the other hand was another matter. She was a shy girl and seemed to keep to herself, only really interacting with Tatsuki and sometimes Chizuru when the other girl tried to get too close to her. Tatsuki would always interfere then. Whenever she was around Ichigo she would stutter and blush profusely. Akira couldn't really blame her. She'd been living on her own ever since her older brother, Sora, had died a few years ago but she needed to learn to stick up for herself and soon or she wouldn't last long in the real world.

Classes that day were uneventful. While the teacher droned on about the importance of factorial equations he let his mind drift to his other lessons, the ones he took at night when he studied magic.

You see, unlike many magical communities the Japanese wizarding population strongly believed that they should not shut themselves away from the advancement of the muggle world. It was silly not to pay attention and adapt in their opinion. When a child who is magically adept reaches the age of eight a notification is sent to the family in question and a representative of the Japanese government is sent to the family to explain things to them. Needless to say the Kurosaki family was shocked, especially Isshin. So the boy had magic and spiritual pressure? He'd found it interesting and had paid great attention to the guy, Mr Suzuki, when he'd been explaining things.

While the Japanese wizarding community did not communicate much with the other wizarding nations they were not ignorant. They were well aware of Voldemort and all the trouble he had stirred up in the UK. They were also aware of Harry Potter and his disappearance many years ago (we'll come back to that). Anyway, they were aware and were able to piece together the facts and came to the conclusion that Akira Kurosaki was really Harry James Potter. Mr. Suzuki felt that it was his duty to inform the family of this and all other information he had on the subject.

"So," Isshin had said. "What you're saying is that this Voldemort guy killed Akira's birth parents, tried to kill him and somehow wasn't able to and got himself killed?"

"That's right," Mr. Suzuki said. "The British wizarding population is completely baffled. They really don't have a clue how it happened. And of course after the parents were killed the charms around the house fell and naturally people flocked there. The Potters were an old Pure-blood family after all. From all accounts Sirius Black reached the house first and then Albus Dumbledore. Black was arrested on charges of betraying the Potters and sentenced to life in Azkaban."

"Pure-blood family?" Akira asked, interested in his heritage. He'd ask about the other parts after. He hadn't known that much about his parents. All he'd been told by his aunt and uncle was that they were freaks and a 'waste of air space' along with some other words that he did not know at the time. He asked Isshin about them but the man had refused to answer until he was a bit older. The Dursley's had called his parents many names, several were extremely graphic and not fit for a child to know the meaning of after all. Now he knew why the Dursley's had acted the way they did. They saw people with magic as freaks of nature. That explained why they were always so nice to Dudley and never to him. They hated magic so they hated him.

Meanwhile Isshin was thinking about the possibilities. It was entirely possible that Akira's reiatsu had been the reason the attack was stopped. The two forces, magic and reiatsu seemed to be different substances all together so it was possible that the introduction of such a powerful reiatsu rebounded the magic in the killing curse on the caster. It was an interesting prospect. He'd need to check it out later.

"Pure-bloods," Suzuki continued. "Are wizards who are descended from a long line of wizards. They have not chosen to breed with normal humans. It is their belief that breeding with the larger population who they refer to as 'muggles' weakens their magical abilities and taints their blood. In the English society the government is mostly run by Pure-bloods. It is because of them that so many muggle-born witches and wizards either leave the country or return to the muggle world." Suzuki shook his head in disgust. "They don't realize that the opposite is happening. By inbreeding they are ensuring that their genetic defects are passed onto the next generation and amplified, making them far weaker and subsequently dwindling the numbers of the magical folk and producing squibs through genetic mutation. If this keeps happening then within the next half a millennia there could only be a quarter of the wizard population there is today in some countries, possibly less thanks to Voldemort."

"What about Akira?" Ichigo asked. He wasn't completely sure what Mr. Suzuki had said, he and Akira were only eight after all.

"Young Akira, then known as Harry Potter, was the son of James Potter, a Pure-blood, and Lily Potter ne Evans who was a muggle-born and reputed to be one of the most gifted students to pass through the walls of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry since Rowena Ravenclaw herself!"

"Hogwarts?" Akira asked.

"Rowena Ravenclaw?" Ichigo asked straight after.

"Yes," Mr. Suzuki explained. "Hogwarts is a school in the UK which all magically gifted children are invited to at the age of eleven be they muggle or magical born. The school was founded roughly one thousand years ago by four of the greatest magic users of the time: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Hogwarts today is divided into four houses named after the founders based on their personality and traits. Some refuse of course because they don't wish to go to a magical school and some of the older families prefer to school their children at home. This brings us back to the purpose of my visit." Suzuki stopped speaking for a moment and pulled out a folder from the brief case he carried. "This is a list of courses available for young magic users to take should they accept the invitation to learn magic."

"Will Akira have to be taken out of school?" asked Isshin worriedly. One education was not worth giving up another completely.

"The classes will be in the evening," Mr. Suzuki explained. "Many ask this question. We prefer the children to have a balanced education so they are able to have a broader scope when they are old enough to seek out employment." Suzuki handed the file to Isshin who passed it to Akira who was sitting in the middle between Isshin and Ichigo. The three peered at the list.

Courses Available to young Magic Trainees.

Beginner:

Basic transfiguration

Herbology

History of the many magical societies

Basic Potions

Charms

Introduction to magical creatures

Defensive Magic

Offensive Magic

Introduction to Ritual Magic

Introduction to Blood Magic

Beginner Rune Carving

Basic Arithmancy

Divination

Integrating magic and muggle

Basic healing magic

Intermediate:

Intermediate Transfiguration

Intermediate Herbology

In depth study of magical cultures

Intermediate Potions

Intermediate charms

Care of Magical Creatures (more in depth, gets up close with different creatures)

Intermediate Defensive Magic

Intermediate Offensive Magic

Intermediate Ritual Magic

Intermediate Blood Magic

Intermediate Rune Carving

Intermediate Arithmancy

Divination (for those who have an actual talent for the subject)

Intermediate Healing Magic

Integrating Magic and Muggle. Building and bonding the two worlds further

Advanced Courses

Advanced Transfiguration

Animagi study (can be taken separate from transfiguration or can be added into the course)

Advanced Herbology (working with dangerous plants and fungi)

Advanced charms

Advanced Potions

Advanced defensive/offensive magic (taught together)

Advanced Magical creature training (dragons, vampires, chimera etc. (Please note that these creatures are fully sentient and deserve the utmost respect. Although not human they are just as capable (if not more so) than any magical human or muggle.)

Advanced Ritual Magic

Advanced Blood Magic

Advanced Rune Carving

Advanced Muggle and Magical bonding classes, integrating the Magical element into technology

Advanced healing magic

Necromancy

Shadow Manipulation

Magical art work

Magical musical studies

Study of the European and American magical laws and regulations (recommended for any magic user who wishes to travel.)

Akira looked up from the list and looked at Suzuki in awe.

"That," said Ichigo after a minute or two of staring at the list. "Is a lot of classes!"

"It is recommended that the child in question only take four or five classes at any one time lest they be overwhelmed," said Suzuki. "There is no time limit on these courses but if the child is struggling with a course it is recommended that they forfeit that course and transfer to another. The training starts when the child reaches the age of eight and continues until they reach the age of sixteen which is when they come of age unlike in Europe and America where the age restriction is seventeen. When the student reaches the age of sixteen they are allowed to seek a familiar. A familiar is an animal whom is bonded to the magic user for life. Many simply choose owls or cats as they are considered the most useful familiars but there have been rare cases in which a wizard chooses to bond himself to a fox or possibly a snake or some other animal he or she feels a connection to. I heard about a case in India a few years earlier where a witch bonded herself to a tiger cub but you will receive more information about that later when it is time for Akira to choose a familiar of his own. Any earlier than the age of sixteen and there can be side effects of the bonding. We also train our students for eight years instead of the usual seven because the nature of the courses means that more time is needed in some fields of study."

"How long is each course?" asked Isshin, looking at the healing magic in particular. That could be useful.

"It depends on the course," replied Suzuki. "For instance the transfiguration class can take from one to two years to complete but the healing magic can take from two to three years depending on the aptitude of the student. Each course is different after all. There is no particular order in which to take the classes. For example a child could take the beginner courses in healing, runes, ritual, potions and history and once he or she has finished one course then they have the option of moving onto the intermediate course or taking another beginner course. Some choose to do this so they have a much more varied education so can apply for different jobs. The European schools start training the children at the age of eleven. From there they spend seven years at a boarding school where they are taught all they need to know about their magical community. They are allowed to return to their families during the summer and around the time of New Year but that is all. It separates the young from their families. This teaches the Pure-bloods to be more independent but it also cuts off the muggle-borns from the advancements in their birth world. This can be a problem if they decide to return to the muggle world as they have to reeducate themselves. Not all Pure-bloods are the same of course. Some may choose to ignore the advancements but others are not so foolish. Sirius Black was one of the few, along with James Potter, who embraced the changes."

"You mentioned him before," said Isshin, remembering the reference to Sirius. "Who exactly is he?"

"Sirius Black was one of the best friends of James Potter along with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. During Hogwarts the four of them were inseparable. When the Potters went into hiding under the Fidelius Charm they were thought to have chosen Black to be the secret keeper, meaning he was the only one that could reveal the information that was under the charm, in this case the location of the Potters. As Voldemort discovered the Potters it is thought that Black betrayed the Potters and is now serving a life sentence in Azkaban after supposedly killing thirteen muggles and Peter Pettigrew by firing an exploding jinx in an alley way. He was the only survivor. As there were many witnesses that can confirm that Black chased Pettigrew into the alley Black was arrested instantly and shipped off to Azkaban without a trial. Despite this there are not witnesses that can confirm that they saw the spell leave Black's wand."

"Why wasn't he given a trial? What exactly is Azkaban?" asked Isshin. Something wasn't sitting right with him.

"Azkaban is the British prison where criminals are held. The prison is guarded by creatures called Dementors which literally suck all the hope and happiness out of a person. Muggles are unable to see them. If they get too close to a person then they are able to forcibly remove a soul from it's body." Suzuki explained. Isshin felt a shudder go through him. That didn't sound good. If a Shinigami ever came into contact with one of those creatures...They actually sounded a lot like hollows. He'd need to look into it.

"Because there were so many eye witnesses who said they heard an explosion and heard Pettigrew shout something about 'Sirius betraying their best friend' they all assumed that Black was the traitor. He was not given the chance to defend himself however so some governments remain skeptical. If he had been given a chance to defend himself under Veritaserum then the truth would be known instantly." Seeing the blank looks of his listeners Suzuki continued. "The potion forces the drinker to tell the whole truth. They cannot lie under the influence of the potion no matter how hard they struggle. Three drops is the usual dosage. Any more can result in serious damage to the brain and anything past six drops is fatal. Depending on how much is added the victim can die within the next five minutes or the pain can be drawn out for several hours. All the while the potion is in effect."

"So he wasn't allowed to defend himself?" Ichigo asked. He didn't like that idea. Even if someone had done something wrong he thought they should at least get the chance to tell their side of the story. It was only fair after all. Some well known cases were only figured out be the police once they'd heard the accounts of both sides. That meant that Black could be innocent and if there was one thing that Ichigo hated it was when people got blamed for things that they did not do.

"That is correct," replied Suzuki. "Right now Black is in one of the deepest cells of Azkaban. Right now our government along with the Chinese, Australian and American wizarding governments are petitioning for Black to receive a retrial to give him the chance to defend himself properly but the British Minister, Cornelius Fudge, won't allow it."

"Why not?" asked Akira.

"He doesn't want to make it seem like his government made a mistake," replied Suzuki simply. "He would lose his public support and that means losing the next election and that is something he cannot afford to do. He's become too used to the feeling of power."

Not long after that Suzuki had left. He had left an address which Akira was to send his form with requested courses to when he decided. He had to decide within the next week. Eventually he had chosen to take: Transfiguration, healing magic, blood magic, potions and magical creatures.

It had all been going quite well since he'd decided. He'd discovered that he was very gifted with the practical side of the work, especially in transfiguration. After completing that course he'd moved onto defensive magic (which he excelled at) and then offensive magic.(he did just as well if not better) He'd taken a year to complete each subject. He discovered that he was not very good at healing magic as he did not have quite the control needed for the precise work but he finished the basic healing course and moved onto the basic rune carving lessons. He began that course a little shakily but he managed to pick it up and continued through to intermediate classes. He also took intermediate transfiguration and opted to continue to advanced Transfiguration and Animagi training. He also took the intermediate blood magic course but did not go through to the advanced courses. Magical creature courses seemed to be one of his favorites. He absolutely sailed through the basic and intermediate courses and had started the advanced courses when he'd reached the age of twelve while most students only started on the advanced stuff when they reached the age of fourteen. He also made sure to take the beginner course in Herbology and potions so he knew which plants would help or hinder him and the beginner and intermediate classes in charms. He also opted for the class on the laws or the magical communities of America and the UK. He had a feeling that eventually he would have to go back to the UK and he wanted to at least know what he was getting himself into. One class that he could not resist taking was the magical art work lessons. He loved them as they were all about expressing himself through his magic and artwork. He loved making little sculptures and making them move as well as paintings. He had discovered that he was actually a very talented artist and it was one of the few things that could help him relax. It was tricky as it involved the casting of many combined spells and runes. Because the spell work was so intricate and difficult it required a wand. The same was true of Blood magic.

He still remembered the day he'd been taken to get his wand. Wands were not used as much in the Eastern Wizarding communities but they were still needed so he'd gone with his dad and Ichigo to collect a wand. The twins had been left at the house of one of their friends for the afternoon. The old man who owned the wand shop had been very excited. He'd had to make a custom wand for Akira as none of the others seemed to fit him just right. In the end his wand had been a surprise to the store owner, Souta Umino.

After trying out all the wands in the shop Umino had lead them through to the back room where he kept all the ingredients and components for the wands. There were many different woods stacked along the walls and different tables holding vials, boxes and other containers which Akira couldn't identify.

"Right," Souta began, looking extremely excited. "I haven't had a customer this hard to find in a long time. The first thing we need to do is find out which wand wood is needed. Go along these shelves and find a wood that you think fits you. You're magic should pulse when you touch the right now. Go on lad, give it a try."

Akira had nodded and began walking along the room, carefully running his fingers over the many different lengths of wood. There were many different woods in many different shades and lengths. He felt something when he ran his hand over a stick of holly but it didn't quite feel right so he continued. Finally he stopped at a long stick of wood, maybe thirteen inches long. It was a deep black in color and smooth to the touch.

Akira had unconsciously stopped when his fingers had come into contact with the stick and Souta came over to see what his customer had found. A glint entered his eye as he saw which wood Akira had been chosen by.

"Ebony Willow eh?" he asked. He carefully took the stick of wood from Akira's fingers and held it up to the light, exposing the wood and making it gleam slightly in the candle light. "Interesting choice. It's a rare wood and can be a little temperamental but good and strong." He set the piece of wood down on a clear table and ushered Akira to the center of the room.

"Now," he continued. "Unlike most wands I prefer to have two cores in my wand. Most just have a phoenix feather, unicorn tail hair or heartstring in them but I find that suspending the core in a liquid of some sort helps to balance the wand. There are many different liquids here so take your time. You should feel a similar feeling as before. Good luck." He stepped back and allowed Akira to study the vials carefully. There were many different liquids such as phoenix tears, basilisk venom, Dementor essence, blessed water etc. Finally Akira stopped when he felt his magic pulse. He looked down at the container his hand had stopped over and found himself looking into a jar what appeared to be swirling with white and light blue. There were odd flecks of silver in the swirls and as they moved Akira felt himself become hypnotized.

"Interesting," Souta said. "The breath of an ice dragon. Very curious." He picked up the container and stood it beside the ebony willow branch. "Now for the core itself. Choose very carefully lad. You may be attracted to a few things but just let your magic guide you. It won't steer you wrong. Collect a few things and when they're all together you'll be able to tell which feels right."

Akira did as instructed. Carefully he selected a few things that seemed to be calling out to him. These included a basilisk tooth, phoenix feather, hair from the mane of an ebony unicorn, feather of a hippogriff and something in a carved wooden box. It wouldn't open to show what was inside but when he picked the box up to place it with the others he noticed that Souta took in a sharp breath and his eyes had widened a little.

Akira carefully began to run his hand over the items, carefully putting items back until he was left with the wooden box. He looked at Souta for an answer and found the man staring at the box in wonder.

"What is it?" Akira asked him, breaking the man from his thoughts.

"That box," Souta said after a moment. "Contains one of the most powerful cores I have ever collected. I am not completely sure what it is as no one has been able to unlock the box. According to my grandfather the box will only open for the person who is destined to possess the core in their wand. If your magic is reacting to this box then it is entirely possible that the core is meant for you young one. Try and open it. Send a little of your magic towards the box. It should unlock if it you are the true wielder of the core."

Akira was rather nervous at hearing this. He took a deep breath and carefully began to gather a small amount of magic. He'd already started his lessons at that point and one of the first things he had learned was to gather his magic. It was a simple process once the wielder of the magic got control of it and soon Akira was able to draw exact amounts of magic whenever he felt like it. Right now as he was gathering the magic he did not notice that a small amount of reiatsu had slipped in to mingle with the magic. Isshin noticed though. He felt Akira's spiritual pressure pulse slightly before his son reached over and carefully pulled the lid from the carved box. Isshin heard Souta inhale in amazement.

Sitting on a bed of crimson silk were the most beautiful feathers he had ever seen. The first appeared to be pitch black like the ebony willow and glossy as a raven's wing but as you looked closer you could see flecks of dark emerald green. There were also traces of silver near the center of the feather. Sitting next to it was a feather of the deepest white. Along the outside of the feather was a layer of crystalline blue with flecks of silver. It seemed to sparkle like frozen ice. Each feather was about twelve inches in length and looked as soft as any silk scarf.

"What are they?" Akira asked, reaching out to carefully stroke the black feather. It felt delicate against his touch and was extremely soft, softer than it appeared to be. It also seemed heated although by what he could not tell.

"That," breathed Souta in awe. "Is the feather from the wing of one of the greatest dragons known to the Magical world. It is the feather of the great shadow fire dragon who roamed free over the land millennia ago. The name of the great beast has been lost throughout history but what is known is that it commanded the darkest fires known to man or beast. The fire has been called 'Hellfire' for lack of a better word. It is unlike normal fire in that it is a deep green tinted with black and sometimes silver according to legend. The other feather is from the greatest Ice dragon known to walk the earth. The name of the beast has also been lost but all the images of the great dragons depict them intertwined, always together. Which feather is calling you lad?"

"The black one," Akira replied instantly. "How can dragons have feathers though? I thought all dragons have scales and skin for wings?"

"That is true for normal dragons," Souta replied. "These two were different however. Both dragons had feathered wings but there were differences. For example the feathers of the Shadow Fire Dragon were said to burn, each feather a separate flame while the Sapphire Ice Dragon's feathers were all said to be made of shards of the strongest ice. According to legend the two dragons had met with a young magic user. He had saved their lives although I do not know how this came about. As a show of gratitude each gave the young man a single feather from their wing. One from the left wing and the other from the right wing. As soon as the feathers left their wings they transformed into what you see before you today. Not many know of the existence of these dragons or these feathers."

"Then how do you know about them?" asked Ichigo. He was desperate to reach out and touch one of the feathers but something held him back. It was like an invisible force was silently but gently pushing him away, as if warning him not to touch. His instincts told him not to push so he did not. He trusted his instincts.

"I know," Souta said calmly. "Because the young man from the legend was my ancestor. We of the Umino line have watched over these feathers for generations. We were not told what was actually in the box though. Our family has collected many rare items in the past. All my family ever told me when I was younger was that I was to make sure that the contents of the box were never to fall into the wrong hands. I grew up hearing the story of the great dragons but I never fully believed it. Now one of the feathers is calling out to you young one until today. Along with the ice dragon breath and ebony willow I can tell you right now that this will be one of the most, if not the most powerful wand I have ever created."

Souta had ushered them out of the back room then. Wand making was a secret art after all, known only to the family that practice it. Each family have different methods of wand production and they guard their secrets well. It had taken over an hour but finally Souta had emerged from the back room with a long thin box in his hand, looking exhausted but smiling slightly. The box was made of cherry wood and inscribed with flames along the outside edges. He carefully placed the box on the counter and lifted the lid.

Inside lay a beautiful ebony wand atop a cushion of sapphire blue. Unlike most wands there was a carving of a dragon swirling around the handle. The outline and detail were picked out in silver and the eyes were made using a pair of sparkling emerald green gems. Small though the jewels were they were beautiful against the obsidian of the wand. The dragon covered much of the upper part of the wand with the head resting near the end. The tail coiled around the handle where the wielder would hold the wand. Akira reached forward carefully and touched it, running his fingers over the smooth surface, carefully running his index finger over the small indentations where the dragon's body and wings were inlaid into the wand and over the gems.

"Pick it up lad," Souta told Akira quietly. "The components of the wand chose you as their wielder. Pick it up and give it a wave."

Akira reached out with a slightly shaking hand and carefully wrapped his small fingers around the handle. Instantly he felt his magic, and something else, pulse as he lifted the wand from the cushion. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again. 'Here goes something,' he thought to himself and brought the wand down in a powerful thrust. Immediately deep emerald green and ebony sparks lept from the end of the wand in the shape of a dragon. The exact shape was not clear but it was clear enough what it represented. The sparkling apparition flew around the shop for a moment before disappearing.

"Remarkable," Souta breathed. "Truly remarkable. I think it is safe to say that we can expect great things from you young one."

Even after all these years Akira still wasn't sure exactly what the old man had meant. Was he referring to his past with Voldemort or was it something else? He wasn't sure. Ichigo just shrugged it off, saying that he'd know when he knew and that was all there was to it for now.

Just as Akira was thinking about this the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Finally! He grabbed his bag and made his way towards Ichigo. Time to go see the ghost.


	3. Chapter 3: When the protector becomes

Chapter 3: When the protector becomes a Shinigami

-o0o-

As Akira and Ichigo passed through the school gates after final bell they heard the sound of Tatsuki yelling in the distance.

"What do you think Chizuru did this time?" Akira asked, turning his head upwards to look at his (slightly!) older brother.

"The usual," Ichigo replied. "Probably flirting with Inoue." Akira shook his head.

"You'd think the girl would get a clue after the fifth beating," he commented as they rounded a corner, heading towards the street where the ghost would be waiting for them. "I mean, what is it gonna take for her to realize that Tatsuki won't let her near Inoue?"

"Who knows," Ichigo commented before the pair lapsed into a comfortable silence. A lot of their time was spent like this, just in silence. They were both comfortable with it and it was familiar. When Akira had first come to live with them it had taken a while for him to adjust. Ichigo had barely ever left his side. Akira hadn't known the language so they couldn't really talk to each other so a lot of the time had been spent in silence, sometimes drawing or playing a game or even just staring up at the sky and day dreaming. It was their routine and they liked it.

When Masaki had died they had spent even more time together, if that were possible, and their bond had grown stronger. It was almost a physical connection, a thick rope tying the two together.

As they neared the street where they would meet the ghost Akira looked around him. Good, there was no one watching. At a nod from Ichigo Akira pulled out his wand and muttered a spell quietly under his breath. Immediately a bunch of light blue and white flowers appeared in his other hand. He looked at his handy work before slipping his wand carefully into the hidden pouch of his sleeve.

Most of the magical folk in Japan carried wands but few chose to use them after they completed their education. You see unlike most wizarding nations the Japanese government believed that to stunt the growth of a magical core by using a wand too often was to dampen the potential of the magical child in question. Wands were used for the first few years and then afterwards the child would slowly be weened off of them, like a baby being weened off of it's mother's milk. As it got stronger it no longer needed the nutrients from the mother to survive. As the wizards increased in age and experience they no longer needed the wand to direct their magic as often. When they reached the age of fourteen or fifteen they were only required to use their wand for advanced classes and for delicate work, such as runes or blood and ritual magic. As Akira had opted for advanced Transfiguration he had to use his wand to conjure items from thin air. It was much more difficult than simply transforming one object into another and so required a wand to help direct the magic in the correct way. By the end of the course he would be expected to complete the exam without the use of his wand at all. But I digress. Lets get back to the story at hand.

As the pair reached the street that connected to the Alley where the girl lived they heard a strange sound. It was somewhere between a growl and a hiss. Akira looked around but he couldn't see where it was coming from. It was a low sound and it sent chills up both teen's spines.

"What was that?" Akira asked.

"I don't know," Ichigo replied. "But I'm gunna find out. Stay here." He began making his way towards the source of the noise, the alley way where the kid ghost 'lived'.

"Like Hell I am," Akira replied flatly before making his way after his big brother. Ichigo cast an annoyed look at him but didn't try and force the issue. Akira could defend himself just as well as Ichigo could, maybe a little better with his magic added into the mix, so he wouldn't stop him. That didn't change the fact that he wanted to but Akira wouldn't grow if he shielded him from everything, he'd learned that a few years ago. All his brotherly instincts told him to keep Akira back but he ignored them for now, better to keep him close in case he needed to shield his little brother.

Anyway, back to the present situation. As the pair approached the alley way they suddenly heard a sharp cry. It sounded like the kid. Abandoning all pretense of stealth the pair rushed forward and entered the alley way.

What they saw made them freeze in their tracks like they'd suddenly hit an invisible wall.

The creature before them was hideous. It nearly reached the height of the surrounding four story buildings. It was a dark grey in color and it's long, rope like limbs ended in deadly looking claws. There was a gaping hole in the creature's chest, right where the heart should have been. Yet it was the face that drew the most attention. While the rest of the creature was a dark grey in color the face was bone white. They eyes were a sickly yellow and glaring with a deep hatred burning in their molten depths. The mouth of the creature was disgusting, two rows of razor sharp teeth stretched into a permanent malicious leer. Right now the creature's sights were set on the small ghost covering near the entrance of the alley, trying desperately to hide behind a garbage can. As the girl spotted them she let out a frightened cry and leapt up, running towards them with all the strength she possessed in her thin limbs.

The creature, taking note of it's fleeing meal, let out a howl, if it can be called that. The sound reverberated around them and sent a shiver down Akira and Ichigo's spines. As the girl ran the ten feet that separated them Ichigo grabbed Akira's arm. Akira grabbed the girl's hand as she reached them and together the trio began racing towards the street, determined to escape the alley. The creature let out another shriek as they ran and gave chase, one of it's arms barely brushing a building and sending glass and brick flying as window and wall alike crumbled.

"Come on!" Ichigo told the pair. "We have a chance if we can get outta here! Move it!"

They heard a sound from behind them and the sudden distraction caused the girl to stumble and fall. Ichigo cursed and turned to help Akira lift her to her feet. What the brothers saw made their eyes open and they bodies freeze in shock.

Standing between them and the hollow was a girl. She was a few inches shorter than Akira and had black hair that passed her shoulders with a single long strand running down the center of her face. Her eyes were a dark blue and she was glaring at the creature in front of her. It was her outfit though that really caught their attention. She wore a pair of black hakama with a white sash around her waste with a kimono top covering her upper half along with Zori (sandals) and tabi (socks that separate the big toe from the four smaller toes). What really shocked them was that she carried a sword and was pointing it straight at the creature.

Before the sight before them could fully register the girl jump into the air and raised her sword before slashing down, cutting a clean line down the center of the creature's face. It let out a howl of pain as it's face disintegrated and it collapsed to the ground, disappearing in wispy vapors.

The girl sheathed her sword. Ichigo tried to call out to her but she ignored him and quickly exited the alley way the same way she came, be jumping from ledge to ledge until she reached the top of the nearest building.

"Okay," Akira said faintly. "What the hell just happened here?"

-o0o-

Later that night Ichigo and Akira lay in their separate beds with the lights turned off. Moonlight filtered through the window, casting a faint bluish glow about the room. It was around Ten O'clock at night and all seemed peaceful in the house. Yuzu was in the kitchen, giving it a final clean before she went to bed and Karin was probably watching the TV, flicking through the channels for something decent to watch. Their dad, they didn't really want to know what he was up to.

"Any clue what that thing was?" Ichigo asked Akira.

"Not a clue," he replied disappointedly. He'd looked through all of his magical creature books and he couldn't find hide nor hair of the creature. "I can't believe I couldn't find anything. You'd think someone would notice if a giant thing like that walked down the street."

"Well," Ichigo thought out loud. "It could see the ghost so maybe it's a ghost itself."

"But a ghost of what?" Akira asked him, turning to face Ichigo who was staring up at the ceiling.

"I don't know," Ichigo replied. "But I don't like it. That girl we saw..." He trailed off, thinking back to the events in the alley way. "She cut through it's face like it was nothing, then just disappeared."

"It was weird," Akira agreed. "Do you think we'll ever see her again?"

"Who knows," Ichigo replied before turning his head to look out the window, his eyes trained firmly on the moon as it hovered in the midnight blue sky. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

"You're probably right," Akira agreed. "What are the chances we'll see her again anyway? "

You'd think he would have learned something by now wouldn't you? If he had then he would have known never to say something like that, especially with this intrepid authoress around.

-o0o-

On the other side of the street from the Kurosaki Clinic a figure stood poised on the end of a roof, the girl from earlier.

"It's close," she whispered to herself. "I can feel it." Her eyes took in his surroundings with a calculating look and settled on the building just opposite her. "There!"

-o0o-

"What the Hell?"

Akira awoke from his light dozing and turned to look at his brother. It had been Ichigo's exclamation that had broken his out of his almost-sleep. What he saw made his breath catch in hos throat.

Standing on the desk between their beds was the same girl from earlier today. In the blue light cast by the moon her skin looked even paler than it had in the sunlight and it glinted off her sword as she held it loosely by her side. Her face was set in a frown and her eyes were scanning the room intently, looking for something maybe? Akira wasn't sure. Ichigo was trying to get her attention but it wasn't working, she probably thought that Ichigo was talking to him (Akira) as she didn't expect a living person to be able to see her. She was a ghost after all, or at least he thought she was a ghost. What else could she be?

"Hey!" Ichigo was still calling to her but she was, as before, ignoring him.

"It's close," she whispered to herself, taking no heed of the teenagers in the room.

"What's close?" Akira asked.

"But where is it?" She asked herself. Ichigo's eye began to twitch.

"I know it's around here but where?"

"That's it!" Ichigo growled before jumping out of bed and delivering a sweep kick to the girl's stomach, knocking her off of the table and on to the floor between their beds. For a moment she just lay there, eyes open in shock as she stared at the two teenagers leaning over her, one looking annoyed and the other concerned.

"Are you alright?" Akira asked her, stretching out a hand to her to help her up.

"You can see me?" She breathed, her eyes wide with shock. "But how? You're just humans, how is it that you can see me?"

"Beats us," Akira replied. "We've always been able to see ghosts."

"Always?" the girl replied. "But, that shouldn't be possible."

"Doesn't change the fact that it's the truth," Ichigo told her, still annoyed. "Now, mind telling us what you were mumbling to yourself?"

Immediately the girl's face changed, becoming harder and she lost her slightly scared look. "That is none of your concern," she replied crisply, ignoring Akira's offered hand and hauling herself to her feet.

"Okay, fine," Akira told her before Ichigo could put his foot in it, so to speak. "But can you at least tell us what you are? I mean, there's no way you're a normal ghost right? Normal ghosts don't dress like that and they definitely don't carry swords around. And what was that creature anyway? We've never seen anything like it before."

"Very well," she replied. She looked them both in the eye, maintaining contact for a few seconds before breaking it. "I am a Shinigami."

There was total and utter silence n the room, no one spoke, no one even moved. Akira and Ichigo stared at the girl, now known as a Shinigami. Finally it was Ichigo that broke the silence.

"Mind giving us some details?" He asked her, skepticism clear in his voice. Akira gave him a slightly annoyed look before turning back tot he female.

And so the girl, now known as a Shinigami, began her story, starting from the beginning and telling the two teenagers about the duties and responsibilities of a Shinigami and the danger posed by Hollows, the creature that they had seen that afternoon. Finally she finished and silence descended between the three once more.

"So," began Ichigo after a minute. "You're a Shinigami?"

"Yes," Shinigami replied.

"And it's your job to hunt down these Hollows to kill them?"

"Yes,"

"And you're needed to help cross other spirits over, the ones that don't become hollows?"

"That is correct," Shinigami replied, sounding slightly annoyed.

"That all makes perfect sense," Ichigo said calmly. "Except that it's all impossible!"

"Ichigo!" Akira admonished immediately.

"Come on!" Ichigo turned to Akira, giving him one of his best 'you can't believe this crap!' looks. "Don't tell me you believe her!"

"Why not?" Akira asked him right back. "Why is it so hard to believe in Shinigami? I mean, look at me, do you think I'm impossible?"

"No!" Ichigo said immediately.

"Then what's the big deal?" Akira asked, a smirk trying to pull at the corners of his lips but he forced it down. No need to antagonize Ichigo further after all.

"But we have proof of that!" Ichigo argued, continuing to fight the battle he already knew was a lost cause but his pride wasn't willing to admit it.

"You need proof?" Shinigami asked, a sly smirk making it's way across her face. "Very well then, Bakudō 1: Sai!"

Immediately Ichigo found his arms pinned behind his back. He lost his balance and fell, face first on to the carpeted floor where he lay, twitching slightly. Akira did his best to stifle his laughter but a snicker got through. Ichigo growled at him.

"Not funny!" He vehemently told his brother.

"It is from up here Ichigo," Akira replied, allowing a grin to spread across his face. "Reminds me of that time I practiced that full body bind on you."

Now, the Shinigami didn't know what he was talking about so she just assumed that it was a family thing so ignored it. She gazed down at Ichigo, a self satisfied expression on her face.

"Proof enough for you human?" she asked him, prodding him with her toe. Ichigo growled while Akira let out another chuckle.

"Fine," Ichigo muttered, managing to rise from his position on the floor to a (barely) more dignified position on his knees.. "Lets just say that, for the purposes of this conversation, I believe that you are really a Shinigami. What are you doing in our room in the first place?"

All signs of humor drained from the female's face and she looked at the two teenagers with complete seriousness in her midnight eyes.

"I was tracking a hollow," she said finally. "It's location is around here somewhere and as I came closer I detected a strong reiatsu. I assumed that it belonged to a spirit, they are the only beings able to possess reiatsu after all, but instead I find you two."

"Do you know where the hollow is now?" Akira asked, ignoring the reiatsu part for now. These hollows sounded dangerous. That one from earlier had been huge! Who knows what damage another one of those things could do.

"I lost track of it because of the reiatsu," the Shinigami replied, a slightly self conscious look on her face.

"Can you track it again?" Ichigo asked her, pulling himself up to sit on his bed.

"I believe so but it will take time. The reiatsu is clouding the air, making it harder to sense the hollow's presence."

Just then there was a crash from downstairs and a howl like sound floated to their ears. Well, perhaps floated wasn't the right word for it. It was more like it tore at their ear drums and gave them minor headaches. Ichigo looked at Akira and they both turned to look at the Shinigami who had frozen in place, her eyes going wide as a realization hit her.

"What was that?" Akira asked, looking to their door.

"I don't know," Ichigo replied. "But I don't like it."

Another crash sounded from downstairs along with a small cry.

"Yuzu!" Ichigo and Akira exclaimed. They both jumped to their feet but Ichigo over balanced and landed on the ground again. He cursed under his breath before trying to pull himself back up. That did not sound good.

"It's here," the Shinigami whispered. "How could I have missed it?"

"What's here?" Akira asked, looking at her. Suddenly his eyes widened as realization dawned. "The hollow," he whispered. "Its here isn't it?" The Shinigami nodded. That was all it took for Ichigo to leap to his feet and make his way towards the door.

"Wait!" the Shinigami called after him. "You can't go out there. You may be able to see spirits but you are not a Shinigami. You can't fight a hollow!"

"That's my family down there!" Ichigo snarled at her. "I'm not just gonna stay up here nice and safe and leave them down there! Not a chance!"

Just before Ichigo reached the door it opened to reveal Karin. Her face was pale and her eyes large.

"Ichigo," she breathed. "Downstairs...Yuzu...help." With that she collapsed. If Ichigo hadn't been so close he wouldn't have been able to catch her slightly. He was unable to hold her because of the binding spell on his arms so he supported her with his chest until Akira came over to gently settle her on the floor.

"That settles it!" Akira growled, a fire blazing in his eyes. "There is no way that thing is getting away with this."

"No!" the Shinigami told them firmly. "I'm going to deal with this. You two stay here. You'll only get in the way."

With that she quickly unsheathed her sword (which they now knew was a Zanpakutō) and raced out of the room, careful to avoid trodding on Kari's prone form. Akira looked at Ichigo, who still had his arms pinned behind his back, and took off after the Shinigami.

Ichigo cursed (In Japanese and English) before rushing forward and overbalancing and falling. Letting out another stream of curses he picked himself up and charged down the stairs.

As Akira charged down the stairs he noticed that he'd left his wand on the bed side table. Silently cursing he continued his descent down the stairs, no time to go back for it now. As he raced down the stairs he saw it. The creature was hideous. It's skin was a dark grey like the last creature and it's face was a disgusting leer. Right now it held Yuzu in it's clawed grasp, it's tongue running over its sharp teeth.

"Leave her alone!" Akira shouted, coming to a stop, his body in a ready stance in case he had to move quickly. The hollow looked over at him and if possible its leer became even more demented.

 _ **"What's this I see?"**_ it asked, it's voice dark and eerie. Akira felt a shiver run up his spine but he stood his ground. _**"Now that's more like it. I need a decent meal, not this little snack here. Perhaps I'll finish her off before I move onto you eh boy? I'll save the other one for desert."**_

Akira growled before firing off a stunner. The red light passed through the hollow without scratching it. Akira's eyes widened. That wasn't good. The hollow let out a mad cackling sound.

 _ **"You'll need to do better than that if you want to hurt me boy,"**_ the hollow taunted. Akira grabbed the closest item, a chair, and hurled it at the hollow. The chair hit the arm holding Yuzu and the hollow let out a yelp of pain before dropping the girl. So the physical object hurt him but the spell didn't.

Just then the Shinigami appeared and quickly ran towards Yuzu and caught her. She turned back to look at Akira who quickly took Yuzu from her, checking her vitals and sighing with relief. She'd just fainted.

Just then Ichigo appeared at the top of the stairs. His hands were still bound behind his back and he was glaring daggers at the hollow. Akira could see that he was trying, in vain, to break free of the spell holding his arms behind his back.

"Get back!" The Shinigami told him. "You cannot face a hollow! Do not try and break free! The force of it will tear your soul apart!"

Ichigo paid her no mind however as he continued to struggle to break free. His glare intensified as he stared at the hollow.

 _ **"What's this?"**_ the Hollow jeered. _**"Another tasty snack? Well well, I'm**_ _ **spoil**_ _ **for choice. Should I go for you or that other boy, both would make good choices wouldn't you say boy?"**_

That was definitely the wrong thing to say.

Ichigo growled at the Hollow before closing his eyes and re-doubling his efforts to break free of the Kidō. As Akira and the Shinigami stared at him they saw tendrils of blueish energy begin to swirl around his body. Ichigo's teeth were gritted and his body was trembling slightly.

"Don't!" the Shinigami cried as she watched him. "You'll kill yourself!"

Ichigo gave a final hard pull, breaking the Kidō and causing the spiritual energy around him to explode, the tendrils stretching away from him before fading into nothingness.

"What is this?" the Shinigami whispered, almost too quietly for Akira to hear. "How did he do that? It should not be possible for a non-Shinigami, much less a human, to break free of a Kidō. This is unheard of."

Ichigo smirked as he stood up fully, now free of the Kidō and glared at the Hollow.

"Here I come, ready or not!" He yelled at the hollow before charging straight at the beast.

The hollow let out a roar and batted Ichigo away with one of its massive clawed hands. Ichigo flew back and landed hard against a wall.

"Ichigo!" Akira called out as he quickly made his way towards his brother, Yuzu still in his arms.

"I'm fine," Ichigo told him through gritted teeth. He struggled to stand up, using the wall as support as he glared at the hollow. The hollow in question let out a laugh like sound before raising it's hand and thrusting forward. Akira closed his eyes as Ichigo pushed him and Yuzu down. They waited for the attack to come. Instead they heard a pained cry from above them. Akira looked up and stared in shock. The Shinigami had taken the hit.

"Idiots," she wheezed as the hollow drew it's hand back. "I told you you weren't a match for the hollow. Why didn't you listen to me?" She coughed harshly then.

"Can you still fight?" Akira asked her worriedly. That injury of here did not look good.

"No," she replied solemnly. "I am too injured to fight. One of you must do it."

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed. "I thought you said we weren't strong enough to beat it!"

"As you are now you are no match for it," the Shinigami told them. "But there is a way, a way that will allow you to save your family."

"How?" Ichigo demanded immediately.

"One of you must become a Shinigami," she said bluntly. Her face was grave and there was no sign of falsehood to be seen in her face.

"One of us...become a Shinigami?" Akira asked, his mind working quickly. Didn't you have to be dead for that to happen? "How does that work?"

"I will temporarily be able to transfer some of my power to one of you," she explained. "It will not last long but it should be enough for you to defeat the Hollow. Which one of you will it be?"

Ichigo looked at Akira. From the look in his younger brother's eyes he wanted to do it but Ichigo could not allow that. He had promised to protect Akira with his life when he was younger and he was going to keep that promise, no matter what. He looked back at the Shinigami, determination burning deeply in his brown eyes.

"I'll do it," he said with total conviction. "How do I gain your powers?"

"Take my Zanpakutō and stab it through your chest," she instructed. "My power will pass to you through my blade."

"Ichigo," Akira said, worry clear in his voice. "You don't have to, I an always do i-"

"Not a chance Otouto (little brother)," Ichigo told him sternly. His brown eyes bore into Akira's emerald ones. "I'm not putting you in that much danger."

"I'm already in danger!" Akira told him hotly.

"That's not what I mean and you know it!" Ichigo replied vehemently. "Look after Yuzu okay?" His voice had softened and Akira could see the unspoken request in his brother's eyes. If he didn't survive this then he wanted Akira to look after the family for him. Akira closed his eyes in defeat and gave a silent nod of acceptance. Ichigo smiled at his brother before turning back to the Shinigami.

"Now, give me your sword Shinigami," he told her, his voice ringing with finality. At that point the Hollow gave a deafening roar, it's patience wearing thin. The Shinigami let a small smile cross her face as she looked at the orange haired teenager.

"Take it," she told him. "And it isn't 'Shinigami'. My name is Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki."

Ichigo returned the smile as he lifted the sword, setting the tip just above his chest.

"Well then, Rukia Kuchiki, lets hope that this isn't our last meeting." With that he slammed the sword down, piercing his chest. A wave of spiritual pressure exploded from Ichigo and he was enveloped in smoke and light along with Rukia. Akira and Yuzu were blown back slightly by the force of it and they landed against the adjacent wall. Akira accidentally banged his arm against the sharp remains of a chair and caused a jagged gash to appear, running from his elbow to mid way to his wrist but he ignored it, his focus completely on the spot where Ichigo had disappeared from view. As the smoke began to clear Akira felt his jaw go slack and his eyes widen.

Ichigo's outfit had changed. Now he was wearing a pair of hakama held up by a white sash along with tabi and zori (the socks and the sandals). He was wearing a black kimono like top and part of a white version could be seen underneath. That wasn't what Akira was staring at though. Across Ichigo's back was one of the biggest swords he had ever seen. It was roughly the height of Ichigo's body, probably a little more as it was in a sheath that went horizontally across Ichigo's back. It was held there by a red chain like thing that went over Ichigo's right shoulder. A smirk was on his face as he stared at the hollow. Akira could practically feel the energy pulsating around his older brother. Then he turned his attention to Rukia.

She was staring at Ichigo with a look of complete and total shock on her face but that wasn't what caught his eye. Instead of her black Shinigami uniform (or at least he assumed that it was some kind of uniform) she was clothed all in white and her sword had vanished, disappeared completely with no trace left whatsoever.

"How is this possible?" she whispered, looking down at her white clothes body. "I only meant to give him half of my power at the most, how did he take it all?"

"Are you alright? Akira asked her, concern in his voice. Did the draining of power effect her in any way?

"I am fine," she replied absently, still staring at Ichigo. "But, how is this even possible? Not to mention the sheer size of his blade. I have never heard of a Zanpakutō that size before."

"Ichigo is known for being unique," Akira told her, a small smirk crossing his face at the mention of his brother. There was no one around quite like Ichigo. If Rukia stuck around then she'd find that out first hand.

The hollow took the time to study Ichigo before lunging, it's mouth opening in a snarl as it charged towards the teenager. Ichigo moved, almost quicker than the eye could see, and unsheathed the giant sword from his back. Leaping into the air he used it to cleave the Hollow's left arm off. The creature let out a roar of pain before lunging at Akira, hoping for an easier meal. Ichigo did not approve of this.

"This is for attacking my family!" he yelled as he brought his Zanpakutō down, slicing clean through the white as bone face of the hollow. The creature let out a screech/howl sound before it seemed to implode upon itself and disappeared.

"It's over," Ichigo said tiredly, the adrenaline rush fading from his system leaving only tiredness behind.

"Nice job Ichigo," Akira told him, a small, proud smile pulling at the corners of his lips. Looks like Ichigo lived up to his name after all.


	4. Chapter 4: Dealing with the Consequences

Chapter 4: Dealing with the Consequences

-o0o-

The next morning Akira woke early, his eyes opening slowly so he wouldn't blind himself. He'd done that plenty of times and it wasn't pleasant. His mind was foggy with sleep but his body was sore. Why was that? As the fog began to clear the events from last night flitted in front of his eyes. He shot up, his eyes widening. He looked around himself frantically. He was back in his and Ichigo's shared bedroom, his brother sound asleep in the other bed. Akira watched Ichigo as his deep breathing reached across the room, the sound that had relaxed Akira so many times before. As usual it's calming effect washed over him and he could feel his muscles unclenching and relaxing as the deep breathing filtered into his ears.

"Was it all just a dream?" he asked himself quietly. It seemed like it but then why was his body so sore? He looked down at his arm and there it was, the gash he'd received the previous night. It had stopped bleeding a long time ago it seemed and nothing was left of it except a long white scar running from his elbow to mid way to his wrist.

"It wasn't a dream then," he whispered as he stared down at the scar and then back at Ichigo. He turned his head and looked at the alarm clock resting open the table between their beds. He still had about a half an hour before their father came in to wake them up -cough- try and sneak attack them -cough-. He carefully got out of bed and crossed the small distance between his and his brother's bed before raising a hand and shaking Ichigo gently to wake him up.

"Ichigo," he said quietly. "Wake up Ichigo."

Ichigo began to stir, his head turning slightly in the direction of his brother's voice. His brown eyes opened slowly and he blinked, trying to clear the sleep from them. All of a sudden those brown eyes widened and Ichigo shot bolt upright in bed, breathing slightly heavier and glancing about the room in much the same manner as Akira.

"You okay?" he asked after calming himself down slightly although the worry was clear in his voice. There was slight confusion in his eyes, probably wondering the same thing Akira had wondered.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Akira replied.

"Did it really happen?" Ichigo asked. He wasn't sure if Akira knew what he was talking about, it could have all been a dream for all he knew. In response to his question however Akira raised his arm and showed Ichigo the new scar on his arm. Ichigo's eyes widened and he quickly grabbed Akira's wrist, studying the scar carefully.

"This is from last night?" he asked quietly. Akira nodded.

"Yeah," he replied quickly.

"When?" Ichigo asked him. "You didn't have it before did you?"

Akira thought it was probably best not to tell Ichigo that it was his spiritual pressure (hadn't Rukia called it Reiatsu?) that had blasted him back. Ichigo would feel really guilty about that and Akira didn't want to have to deal with a guilty Ichigo, it was never a pretty sight.

"I got it after the hollow knocked me over," Akira said finally. "I was holding Yuzu so you probably hadn't noticed. Besides, you were too busy kicking the hollow's ass!" Akira grinned at the last part. He had to hand it to his brother, when he went all out he really went all out. "You took it out in no time! My spell didn't even effect it!"

"Really?" Ichigo asked. Akira nodded before sitting on the side of Ichigo's bed. Ichigo shifted his body so he too was sitting on the edge of the bed beside his brother.

"So," Akira said. "What now?"

Ichigo sighed as he turned his head to look out the window. The early sunlight seemed watery as it filtered through the half closed curtains and from outside he could just hear the sounds of the day beginning, people walking to work, cars driving along the streets and the occasional bark of a neighbor's dog. It all seemed so peaceful, so normal. All those people unaware of what was really out there, magical and spiritual.

"I don't know," he said finally.

-o0o-

They found out later that the rest of the family thought the damage done to their house was a result of a van smashing into it. How did that work? Yuzu was definitely awake when the hollow grabbed her and Karin had seen the hollow enough to come run for them. It sounded a bit like a memory modifying spell. Did the Shinigami have that ability?

They met up with Tatsuki on their way to school, she was worried and kept throwing worried glances at Akira, or more specifically at his arm where the school shirt didn't quite cover the scar. Finally Akira had had enough of it.

"Tatsuki!" he finally exclaimed. "I'm not a kid!"

"You are from up here though," she retorted, a teasing smile playing across her lips. This was one of her favorite arguments. She just loved to tease Akira about his height. He glared at her for the comment but felt a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. You could always count on Tatsuki to lighten a mood.

"When I get a growth spurt I'll show you short!" He told her boldly. He knew that that probably wouldn't happen but he could always hope right?

"We'll see," she replied teasingly before turning to Ichigo and continuing to question him about the supposed rogue driver that had driven the truck into their house.

Pretty soon they reached the school building and the howl thing started again, people coming up to them, asking about the incident, annoying them both. It was really getting old quickly. One of the worst was Inoue though. She kept stuttering when she was asking them and demanding to know if they were alright. Akira contained his slight annoyance at the girl. It wasn't her fault but she didn't need to keep asking them the same question over and over again. Thank Kami the bell rang, signaling the start of class.

They took their usual seats, Ichigo sitting at the window and Akira sitting just behind him, by the window.

"Settle down!" the teacher called. "We have a new student joining us today. Make her feel welcome."

The teacher gestured to the door and a girl came in. She was wearing the traditional school uniform for girls. This consisted of a grey pleated skirt that reached to about the knees along with a black T-shirt on top of which was a white blouse and a red tie-thingy. She was wearing white socks and black shoes to match and there was a small white bracelet on her left wrist. She had black hair and blue eyes and Ichigo and Akira's jaws dropped. It was the Shinigami from last night. But, was that even possible? How were the others seeing her? Did Shinigami even go to school? Where'd she get the uniform from? She faced the class and smiled at them brightly.

"Hi," she said sweetly. "My name is Rukia Kuchiki. I look forward to getting to know you all!"

"Take a seat by...Kurosaki," The teacher told her. Rukia nodded before walking to the chair just beside Ichigo. He was about to say something, probably something stupid, so Akira kicked the back of his chair quickly to tell him to shut up. Luckily it wasn't noticed by the teacher. Ichigo gave him a look but quickly turned back to the front of the class to listen as the teacher started her lecture.

Akira looked over at Rukia. She was facing forwards, appearing to be completely focused on the teacher as she discussed the finer points of synthetic division and differentiation but occasionally he would see her looking over at Ichigo, giving him a look and then turning back to face the front. If he hadn't been watching her so closely he wouldn't have noticed her qikcly pass a note onto Ichigo's table. Ichigo opened it, carefully angling it so that Akira could see what was written on it.

Meet me after school. Don't make a scene. -Rukia Kuchiki

Ichigo nodded towards her before turning back to the teacher. Akira sighed. Something told him this wouldn't be an easy day.

-o0o-

After school had ended for the day Ichigo and Akira made their way behind the school to a secluded area they sometimes visited when they wanted to be alone. It wasn't one of the most comfortable places but it was private and it would allow them to talk freely when Rukia arrived.

"Mind explaining?" Ichigo said immediately after Rukia arrived. "Why are you at our school? How can the others see you? Shouldn't you be out slaying hollows or whatever."

"Ichigo!" Akira admonished him. He wanted to know the same thing but his brother could at least use a little more tact when asking.

Rukia glanced at him, a slightly confused look in her eyes before turning back to Ichigo.

"Right now I am in a Gigai," she explained. "A Gigai is an artificial body used by Shinigami when they need to interact with the living world. It is quite useful although it is a little confining. As to your second question..." She trained off, appearing to consider something. Finally she sighed and looked at them seriously.

"To fight Hollows I would need to actually be a Shinigami," she told them. Her eyes were hard as she stared at Ichigo. "Unfortunately thanks to last night's incident that is no longer the case."

"What do you mean?" Akira asked.

"I only intended to release half of my power," she told them. Then she turned completely to Ichigo and looked him in the eye, her dark blue ones completely serious. "Something went wrong. Instead of transferring half of my Reiryoku (spiritual power) I transferred all of it. I am unable to do my duties as a Shinigami until they return. Thus you must do it."

"What?" Ichigo and Akira exclaimed as they looked at her. She couldn't be serious could she?

"Are you sure?" Akira asked her.

"I am positive," she replied, a frown crossing her face. "He must fight the hollows in my place until I am able to regain my powers as a Shinigami."

"No way!" Ichigo told her firmly. "I'm not doing it!"

She glared at him, her eyes hard as ice.

"You have to," she told him firmly. Her voice, which before had been annoyed, had turned to anger. "I cannot protect the souls and send them on. How are they supposed to pass on if no one helps them?"

"Not my problem," Ichigo told her bluntly. Akira looked from Ichigo to Rukia, his eyes darting between the two as if watching a tennis match. This was not good. He was caught in the middle of this. He could see Ichigo's point, it wasn't his fault he had the powers and it wasn't his problem but on the other hand...All those spirits, who would help them? They'd been helping the ghosts before. Was this really any different.

"Come on," Rukia told Ichigo before hitting him over the head with something. Immediately his body fell backwards, leaving him in his Shinigami outfit (Giant kick-ass sword included) and gaping at her.

"Don't just stand there!" She told him irritably before grabbing his arm and beginning to run towards the school gates. Ichigo had no choice but to be dragged after her, protesting all the way. Akira followed, finding it funny that such a tall guy like Ichigo was being dragged around by a girl shorter than him. He wasn't about to let Ichigo live this one down any time soon, that was for sure. He made sure he had a good grip on his backpack before following them. He didn't have any intention of being left behind after all.

He managed to catch up with Rukia. Despite his short legs hers were still a little shorter. He noticed quickly that the three of them were headed towards the park.

"Why are we headed this way?" he asked between pants. Ichigo was still protesting and cursing at being dragged along by Rukia. It was quite amusing really but Akira ignored his big brother in favor of focusing on the short ex-Shinigami.

"You'll see," she answered before facing forwards and concentrating on dragging the reluctant Ichigo after her.

Pretty soon they reached the park and Rukia stopped, letting go of Ichigo so he overbalanced and fell flat on the ground, face first. Akira stifled his laughter as Ichigo got to his feet, glaring hard at Rukia.

"What the hell was that for?" he demanded immediately.

"I told you earlier," she said, her voice clearly annoyed. "I am unable to fight the hollows and as a substitute it falls to you."

"And I told you I'm not doing it!" Ichigo replied hotly.

"You don't have a choice!" Rukia shot back.

"Yes I do!" Ichigo retorted hotly. "It's my life we're talking about!"

"And the lives of all the souls that are potential victims of hollows!" Rukia replied angrily. "Who is going to watch over them?"

"Not my problem!" Ichigo told her firmly. Akira idly wondered how this looked to passers by, Rukia yelling at thin air like a mad man-um, sorry, woman. She was receiving some strange looks from passers by and since he was beside her he received some as well. They ranged from 'what's up with her' to 'why's he standing by the crazy person?' and other things like that. Rukia ignored them though, completely focused on the orange haired teen-turned-Shinigami before her.

Just then there was a shrieking noise from the other side of the park. Akira, who until this point had been quiet, cursed and turned towards the sound. He recognized that sound, there was no way he was ever going to forget it. It was another hollow and it was heading straight for them.

Running in front of the hollow was a kid, he couldn't have been more than ten or eleven with short brown hair and eyes. Those brown eyes were wide and fearful as he continued to run from the monster. The hollow let out a howl before swiping at the kid. The kid tripped, missing the claws completely by accident and falling to the ground.

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed before running towards the hollow. He drew his insanely big sword from his back and quickly cut the hollow's face in half. Like last night the hollow seemed ti implode upon itself. It let out a disgusting sounding shriek before the echos faded and it was as if the creature had never been there at all. The kid looked up at Ichigo with big, brown eyes. Akira and Rukia ran over to join Ichigo as he knelt down to crouch beside the kid.

"Are you alright?" he asked. The kid nodded, still clearly in shock.

"Now you must perform a Konsō," Rukia instructed. "Touch your blade to his forehead." Ichigo nodded before gently resting the tip of the hilt against the kid's forehead. The kid smiled at them as he was enveloped in a soft light before fading from the living world completely, reappearing somewhere in Rukongai.

"See," Rukia told him.

"See what?" Ichigo demanded.

"You must protect the spirits from the hollows," she replied as if it were obvious. "You just proved right here that you are capable of doing it."

"I told you the answer is no!" Ichigo said with finality. "It's my life and my choice and I choose not to do it. Now I'm outta here!" With that Ichigo turned and began to make his way back to the school to get back to his body. He only hoped that no one had seen it and taken it anywhere while he wasn't there.

"Sorry," Akira told Rukia apologetically. "He'll come around. Ichigo may have a hard head but his heart's in the right place, most of the time anyway. Don't worry about it. It'll all turn out fine, I'm sure of it." With a small smile at Rukia he turned and began to make his way after his brother, shaking his head slightly.

Rukia stood there for a minute or tow, looking after the two retreating figures.

"Why wasn't he effected?" she asked herself out loud, not all that bothered that anyone who passed by her would probably think her loony for talking to herself. "He should have been effected the same as the rest of the family but he was not. Why is that? Why does he still have his memories of last night? Who exactly is he? It can't be because he has reiatsu. The younger ones have some reiatsu but they were still affected so why wasn't he?"

-o0o-

After Ichigo re-entered his body the two of them began to make their way home, stopping off at the street where the girl lived to say hello before making their way back to the house. Ichigo was still complaining about Rukia when the pair ran into Orihime.

"Hi!" she said brightly when she spotted them.

"Hey Inoue," Ichigo replied without really thinking.

"Hi," Akira replied in the same manner.

Ichigo looked at her and his eyes widened as he took in a bruise on her leg.

"How'd you do that Inoue?" he asked. Akira looked to where Ichigo's eyes were focused and gasped slightly as he saw the dark bruise marring the skin of her leg. It was a deep purple and it seemed to wind around her leg like a thick ribbon. Something felt off about it, unnatural somehow.

"Oh, I got it when I was almost hit by a car!" she told them cheerfully, as if getting hit by a car was actually not a big deal.

"When you what?" Akira asked incredulously. How was this girl so cheery after something like that happened?

"Oh, it wasn't a big deal," she said, brushing the incident off. "It was kinda my fault actually. I wasn't looking where I was going and just before the car hit me someone pulled me back." she frowned then, her forehead wrinkling in concentration. "I didn't see who it was. I'd like to thank them though! I almost lost all my groceries when I was almost hit."

"What's in the bags?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Food for tonight!" she replied brightly. "I'm making spaghetti with chocolate sauce and some mashed potatoes with Wasabi and miso rice!"

The pair stared at her. Was she serious? Then again, knowing her she probably was. Orihime Inoue was well known within the school for having the strangest taste in food. Akira shuddered at the memory of some of her creations. There was the time she'd made squid with raspberry sauce and sweet curry. That would probably be considered one of her more normal recipes. He really didn't want to think what she came up with when she got creative.

"Good luck with that," Akira said dully. He never wanted to taste her food. No offense to her but he'd rather keep his taste buds in tact thank you very much.

"Thanks!" she told him, smiling. She glanced over at Ichigo who was still staring at her leg with a concerned expression on his face.

"Do you want us to help you take those back to your place?" he asked her.

She seemed flustered for a moment, her face turning as bright as her hair as she looked at Ichigo. Akira mentally sighed.

'Great,' he thought. 'Here we go again.'

To his surprise, and secret relief, Inoue refused their help, saying that her house wasn't too far away and that she'd manage perfectly fine on her own. When she left Akira turned to Ichigo, a strange look on his face.

"Did you feel that?" he asked his big brother.

"You mean her leg?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah," Akira replied. "It felt...wrong. I don't know why but it didn't feel right to me, ya know?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. "There was something about it, almost like..." He trailed off, trying to think of what the feeling reminded him of.

"Like a hollow," Akira put in. He stared after Inoue, watching her retreating back. Something told him that this wasn't over yet.

-o0o-

Later that day the brothers were back in their room. Akira was sitting at the desk while Ichigo was lying on the bed. Akira was doing his homework. No, not his school homework, his magic homework. The Japanese tended to take a more practical approach to learning and so apart from a few selected classes most were all practical with the option to take the theory side of the curriculum if the student wished to go into developing his/her own spells and things like that. Akira had opted to take the theory side of transfiguration, figuring that it would probably help him with his Animagus training. He was doing quite well. According to his transfiguration teacher, Yumi Zukora, he was ahead of many students his age. He had almost completed the transfiguration course, the only thing he had to do now was to practice doing the spells wandlessly and complete his Animagus transformation but that part of the curriculum wasn't scheduled to start until after the summer. That didn't' stop him researching it though. According to many of the books he had read the first step in becoming an Animagus was to brew the Animagus potion.

This potion was a very tricky one and often it required the help of the teacher to ensure that the student didn't screw up. The teacher often held back though, choosing to let the student attempt the potion and only interfering if it was absolutely necessary. The students wouldn't learn if they were hand fed all the information after all. Where was I? Oh yes, the potion. Once ingested the potion causes the drinker to enter a meditative like state. The person is then sent into a dream like world (their inner world he would find out later) where they would 'meet' their animal. Once the form of the student was found the student would be awoken from the dream and would immediately start training. First it was important to master wandless transfiguration so that the student could transform individual parts of their body, arms, hands, feet and that sort of thing. Only when the person had fully mastered turning separate parts of their body into the different parts of their Animagus form could they fully transform. It usually took up to three months to complete the training but with complete dedication some were known to complete the transformation within a month. Akira wasn't that bothered about how long it took him to transform. He was just so excited to find out what his own form would be. Right now he was studying the background to the Animagus transformation and the theory behind guiding the magic around your body to cause the change.

According to the book the magical core of a person was located directly where their heart resides in the body. From there the magic branches out, like little pathways like the veins and arteries in a body. From there the magic circulates throughout the body like blood flow and if not used up then the magic returns to the core or diffuses out. Some magic is lost through this process but not too much and it is only really noticeable after a long period of time when the person wielding the magic is completing many spells. They will notice a drain on their magic and the fact that some of the magic is lost does not help much. In order to complete the Animagus transformation the student needed to guide their magic to the part of their body they wished to change and from there will the magic to do what they wanted. In order to complete wandless spells the same procedure was needed but the magic was often only directed at the hands and no where else. This is why the transformation was so hard to some to learn, especially the western wizards and witches who relied so much on their wands. They were unused to guiding their magic, relying on their wand so much. It created a direct pathway to their core and thus did not force them to make the magic travel where they wished it to go.

Akira idly wondered if Spiritual pressure worked the same way as magic, going around the body. It was an interesting theory. He wouldn't mind asking Rukia to find out if she knew. He also wondered if it would be possible to combine the two. It was definitely something to think about. According to her he had spiritual pressure as well. He thought back to last night, when the hollow had attacked. His magic had had absolutely no effect whatsoever on the hollow. Why was that? Well, reiatsu was completely spiritual right? And magic was a physical force. So, did the two cancel each other out? It seemed possible. After all, 'For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction'. Could that be what had happened?

Akira was broken from his thoughts when Yuzu came into the room.

"Have either of you seen my PJs?" she asked them. "I can't find them anywhere. I can't find my dress either, the white and blue one. Do you know where they are?"

"Sorry Yu," Akira replied. "I haven't seen them. "Have you Ichigo?"

"No," Ichigo replied. "Sorry Yuzu."

"That's okay," she answered, appearing only slightly disappointed. "Well, if you see them will you tell me please?"

"Sure thing Imoto-chan, (Little Sister)" Akira replied as Yuzu turned and shut the door after leaving the room.

Akira turned, ready to go back to his homework when suddenly a ringing sound came from somewhere in the wardrobe. He and Ichigo looked at each other, confused.

"What the hell was that?" Ichigo asked. Akira stood up, ready to open up the wardrobe but something, or rather, someone beat him to it.

"What the hell Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed as he saw Rukia jump out of he and Akira's shared wardrobe. "What were you doing in there?"

"Getting ready to go to sleep," she replied nonchalantly. "Anyway, we've got a new one."

"New one?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"A new Hollow has just appeared in Karakura," Rukia replied. She walked over to the window and pointed out of it. "According to my soul pager it's coming from over there."

"Soul pager?" Akira asked.

"This," Rukia replied, holding up a cell phone like device. It was white in colour. The screen was a dark grey and looked like some kind of map right now. A red beep was moving on the screen. Akira assumed that it was the hollow she was talking about.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not doing your job!" Ichigo said in an exasperated voice. "How many times do I have to say it before it sinks into that thick skull of yours?"

"As long as it takes for you to get off your ass and take care of the hollows!" Rukia shot back hotly. She raised her other hand, the one not holding the soul pager, and pointed at the red blip on the screen. "This hollow right now is in the residential district of Karakura town. How many innocent souls do you think it will devour tonight? And the night after that and the night after that! As a Shinigami, substitute or not, it is your duty to protect them!"

"Wait a sec," Akira said as he looked at the map on the soul pager again. "I know that area. Isn't that where Inoue lives?"

Immediately Ichigo's demeanor changed. He leapt up from where he'd been sitting on the bed and rushed over to Rukia, peering more closely at the screen.

"It is," he said grimly. He faced Rukia, giving her his full attention. "Fine then, turn me into a Shinigami."

"You can't have it both ways Ichigo," she told him seriously, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the teenager before her. "Either you accept your responsibilities as a Substitute Shinigami or you do not. You do not get to pick and choose who you help and do not help. All souls, living or dead, are equal and should be treated as such. Just because you know this person does not give them priority over everyone else."

She finished her speech, looking deep into his eyes, trying to convey the seriousness of what she was saying. Her dark blue-violet eyes stared into his amber ones.

"You must choose Ichigo Kurosaki," she told him gravely, her voice soft and completely serious. her eyes were as hard as granite and bright as diamonds "This is your final chance. Either you refuse and this person, Inoue, suffers because of it or you accept your responsibility as a Substitute Shinigami and help her and all the other souls. You brought this burden upon yourself when you agreed to let me pass on my powers to you. Now, what is your decision Ichigo Kurosaki? Think carefully and choose wisely for there is no going back after this. If you choose not to accept it then it is over, I will not ask you again. Well? What will it be?"

Ichigo looked to Akira who stared back at him. His emerald green eyes locked with Ichigo's.

"I can't make this choice for you Nii-chan (big brother)," Akira told him. "It's your choice, not mine. Whatever you choose though," he smiled at Ichigo. "I'll support you all the way. After all, what are brothers for?" He smiled softly at Ichigo. Ichigo returned the smile before closing his eyes and going through everything slowly, calmly (shock-horror! Ichigo being calm!) He took in a deep breath, allowing his lungs to fill before releasing it slowly.

He opened his eyes and stared resolutely at Rukia, a hard, determined look on his face. His amber eyes were blazing and looked like molten gold as he stared at her.

"Very well," he said somberly. "I'll do it, I'll take your place 'til your powers come back."

"Is that your final answer?" Rukia asked him. "Once you agree to this there is no turning back. You could be called at any time, during school, during the middle of the night, any time there is a hollow you must go to it and cleanse it. Do you understand Ichigo?"

"Yeah," the orange haired teen replied. "I've made my choice."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

-o0o-

Rukia nodded at Ichigo before hitting him over the head. For the first time Akira noticed the glove she wore. It was red and finger-less with a picture of a skull on it. It must have something in it that dispelled the soul from the body. Ichigo's body immediately crumpled, falling in a heap on the bed behind him. He was in his Shinigami outfit again. There was something about Ichigo when he was dressed like that. The black outfit seemed to highlight his strangely orange hair and the red sash like thing holding his sword to his back looked like many little drops of blood joined together. Akira smiled as he looked at Ichigo. He'd made the right decision.

"What's the quickest way to get to Inoue's?" Ichigo asked Rukia. She'd come through his wall after all, she must know some faster ways to travel then to run.

"I'll climb on your back," she told him. "All you need to do is use your spiritual pressure to help you jump from ledge to ledge. It's easy enough after the first time and it is much quicker than running. It's a basic skill taught at the Shinigami academy. It can also be used so that you hover in mid air and it gives you greater height to your jumps so you can go higher and travel farther. It is hard to master it completely but you should be able to travel a short distance. Push your Reiatsu downwards."

"There's only room for one person," Akira pointed out. Ichigo was strong but there was no way he'd be able to carry both Rukia and Akira when he was trying to run. It'd be impossible, even for Ichigo. "I'll stay."

"You sure?" Ichigo asked him. Akira didn't often volunteer to stay behind. He liked to be near the action, near Ichigo just as Ichigo liked to be near Akira. They had each others' back.

"Yeah," Akira told him. "I'd only slow you down. Go ahead but you'd better come back." He said the last part with a teasing smile but there was a hidden seriousness in his eyes along with a hint of worry. Ichigo sensed it and gave Akira a small brotherly hug.

"No worries," Ichigo gold him with a cocky smirk on his face. "I'll handle this in no time. Let's go Rukia."

The short girl nodded and quickly scrambled onto Ichigo's back. She wasn't that much bigger than Yuzu or Karin so he was able to carry her without much difficulty. Ichigo breathed in deeply before running at the window and jumping, leaving Akira behind in the empty room.

Akira stared after his big brother as he watched Ichigo jump from roof top to roof top. He looked like one of those superheros out of an American cartoon or comic book. What was that show again? Oh yes, X-men. Akira grinned to himself. Ichigo did act a little like one of the characters from the show, just younger and without the claws or smoking habit.

Akira looked around their bedroom before shifting Ichigo's body so that it simply looked like the teen was sleeping. Akira pulled the blankets over the soulless body before turning back to the desk and completing the remainder of his homework before switching off the desk lamp he'd been working by and sat on his own bed. The large light in the room was off and the room was simply lit by a small lamp on the shared bed side table. It was just enough light to see by and it wasn't enough to blind the eyes.

The house was quiet so Akira decided that it was about time he started his meditating. He'd forgotten about it yesterday. Who wouldn't when a hollow comes crashing into your home? He'd need to do it tonight though. If he wanted to master Occlumency then he'd have to master meditating and clearing his mind first of all.

Occlumency was the study of shielding the mind from invaders. There were a few different ways to do this but the first step to all these methods was to clear the mind and that state of clarity was only available by meditating. Some took to the exercise quite easily while others found it extremely difficult. Akira personally thought he was somewhere in between the two.

Akira didn't sit in the usual position for meditating. Instead he leaned back against his pillows slightly so that his back was supported and closed his eyes. Sometimes he was even able to do it while pacing. Ichigo termed it 'active meditation'.

He closed his eyes and began to focus on his breathing. In...out...in...out...over and over again. He felt his pulse slow as he continued the deep breathing. In through the nose and out through the mouth. His muscles unclenched and he could feel his body sagging slightly against the pillow behind him. Good, that meant it was working. He continued his inner mantra of 'in' and 'out' for another few minutes before stopping, simply allowing his body to continue on it's own without any prompts. He didn't force his mind blank, that was the last thing he needed to do. By trying to force the mind to not focus on anything the task of meditation became harder and sometimes impossible. It was not a forceful thing and by focusing too hard on clearing your mind you unintentionally filled it. It had taken Akira a while to finally get that through his head but eventually he'd learned.

In...out...in...out...in...out. The manta continued. Akira could feel himself sinking, sinking into himself as he continued meditating.

This was the furthest he'd been able to achieve so far. It was hard, letting everything go to get into this state. Finally, after what felt like an eternity he resurfaced. He turned his head to look at the clock on the bed side table. It was a full half an hour later. Ichigo wasn't back yet but he wasn't concerned. Ichigo could handle himself and he doubted that Rukia would let anything happen to him. With that in mind Akira turned off the lamp, curled up on his side and drifted to sleep, images of Ichigo kicking Hollow's asses engraved into his brain.

-o0o-

On their way to school the next morning Ichigo told Akira about what had happened at Inoue's. To say the least Akira was surprised. Maybe he'd underestimated Inoue a bit. If she was able to face a hollow, even if it was her brother, then the girl definitely had some backbone after all.

"That wasn't the weirdest part though," Ichigo continued after telling Akira about sending Sora to Soul Society. "What really surprised me was Tatsuki."

"Really?" Akira asked. "How come?"

-o0o-

 ** _ **Flashback**_**

-o0o-

Ichigo jumped from building to building, racing as fast as he could towards Inoue's house. It was hard. He pushed his reiatsu into his feet as he ran. It felt strange and his movements were jerky and slightly out of control. He had to keep it together though. He wouldn't let someone he knew get hurt. Rukia was clinging onto him, directing him as they went. He knew the way but it felt different when he was actually going along the buildings instead of using the streets so her directions were definitely appreciated.

As they approached the house Ichigo felt it, the strange feeling he got whenever a hollow was around. He sped up, pushing more power to his legs.

"Not so much!" Rukia told him as she clung to him tighter. "Too much and you'll end up making yourself crash into a building!"

He ignored her for now and continued speeding towards the source of the feeling.

'Hang on Inoue,' he thought. 'Here I come'.

As he reached the street he looked in the window of Inoue's house and what he saw made his eyes widen and he froze.

He saw Inoue on the floor, unconscious. He could just make out the shape of a hollow's arm from where he was standing but that wasn't what was making him stare. Between Inoue and the hollow stood Tatsuki. She was clearly glaring at it and her arms were raised in a defensive stance. What disturbed Ichigo were two things. First of all that Tatsuki could see the hollow in the first place. Since when could she see ghosts? The second thing explained it though. Connecting to her chest was a silver chain that connected her to a limp body lying beside Inoue.

"Oh shit," Ichigo muttered. "This isn't good."

 _ _ **-o0o- Inside the house -o0o-**__

Tatsuki glared at the monster in front of her. It was big and ugly. It was a reddy-brown color except for it's face which was bone white. The mouth was stretched into a malicious grin as it stared at them. It's eyes were two red pinpricks in black voids.

 _ **"Stand aside,"**_ it ordered. _**"I do not care for you. I want Orihime,"**_

"Well too bad!" Tatsuki said defiantly. "You want her you'll have to go through me first!" She raised her right fist a little higher to illustrate her point as she glared at the thing. There was no way it was getting anywhere near Orihime if she had anything to do with it.

 _ **"So be it then,"**_ the thing said before it raised one if it's clawed hands and swung at her.

Tatsuki braced herself, closed her eyes and formed an 'x' shape with her arms, attempting to block at least part of the blow. What happened next shocked both her and the hollow. She felt a strange warmth spread through her and she opened her eyes. The source of the warmth was coming from the necklace she always wore. She looked down to see the necklace pulsing slightly, glimmering with a violet light.

"What the hell?" she muttered as she stared at it. The necklace was comprised of six leaves colored a deep violet. The veins of the leaves were picked out in a slightly lighter shade and they were joined by the ends which formed a star like shape with a violet gem holding them together. Akira had given it to her on her last birthday. She didn't have anymore time to think however as suddenly the hollow shook off it's shock and swiped at her again. Her arms were still raised and as she grit her teeth and got ready to try and block it the necklace pulsed again. This time however the light from the necklace spread, moving along her shoulders, along her arms and focusing on the area between her elbows and wrists. They glowed bright violet and as the creature brought it's clawed hand down on her crossed arms. Just when Tatsuki thought it'd tear right through her arms it stopped. Vibrations went through her body at the force of the impact. What the hell? How did her arms stop that thing? Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that though. She still needed to protect Orihime and thinking wasn't going to make that happen.

Tatsuki acted on pure instinct. She took a deep breath and quickly pushed back, surprising the hollow enough that it was forced back slightly.

 _ **"Why you little..."**_ It let out a deafening roar. Tatsuki had to cover her ears. The hollow took the chance she unwittingly offered and swiped at her again, knocking her back and making her hit her head on the wall behind her.

 _ **-o0o- Outside Building -o0o-**_

"What are you waiting for!" Rukia demanded. She was just as surprised as Ichigo, possibly more so, but this was not the time to be thinking about that. "Move! Are you just going to stand here while they get devoured by that hollow?"

That was all the prompting Ichigo needed. Replacing his usual scowl on his face he took a deep breath before quickly entering Inoue's house through the shattered window.

 ** _ **-o0o-**_**

 ** _ **End Flashback**_**

 ** _ **-o0o-**_**

After Sora had been sent to the soul society Rukia had managed to return both Inoue and Tatsuki to their bodies. She'd then done a memory wipe, clearing the memory of last night's events from their minds. Akira had frowned when hearing about this. It sounded an awful lot like what the British wizards did after the Statute of Secrecy was breached.

"They were not harmed," Rukia assured him quickly. "I do not approve of this method entirely but it is necessary in these situations. If they knew about the ghosts and hollows then it would put them in greater danger."

"What about Tatsuki?" Akira asked.

"I don't know," Rukia admitted reluctantly. "I haven't come across anything like this and, as far as I am aware, neither has anyone else in the Seireitei. For now I think we should just watch her."

"Fine," Akira replied. "What'll happen to their memories exactly?"

"The memories are still there," Rukia explained. "They are just suppressed and new ones are created. These depend greatly on the imagination of the person being targeted."

"So it could be anything?" Ichigo asked.

"Anything," Rukia confirmed. "We'll just have to wait and see."

They found out soon enough. It was all over school.

"I'm telling you!" Inoue was saying to a group of their fellow students as they entered the classroom. "It's what really happened!"

"Yeah right!" one of the students said, a kid with short black hair and unremarkable brown eyes. "You seriously expect us to believe that some Yakuza wannabees broke into your place last night? On motorbikes shaped like different types of fish?"

"It really happened!" Inoue insisted. "Didn't it Tatsuki?"

Tatsuki gave a noncommittal noise in reply before turning back around in her chair and rubbing her head. Akira could practically feel himself sweat-dropping. He was pretty sure Ichigo and Rukia were doing the same. That girl had one very strange imagination.

The day passed in relative normally for the rest of the time they were in school. So, what that basically means is that everyone was pretty much bored out of their minds in their classes. Finally the final bell rang and they were free to escape.

As they were making their way out of the school building they ran into someone. He was tall, way taller than Ichigo with brown hair the covered his eyes slightly. It was obvious that he wasn't completely Japanese. He was holding a bird cage with a parakeet inside.

"Hey Chad," Ichigo greeted. He, Akira and Chad were good friends. They'd bee close ever since they'd met when they'd helped Chad out of a sticky situation with some bullies. Well, Chad could have handled it by himself but he didn't like to fight for what he considered selfish reasons.

"Ichigo," Chad rumbled. He looked from Ichigo to Akira to Rukia. "New friend?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. "This is Rukia Kuchiki. Rukia, this is Yasutora Sado but we just call him Chad."

"Nice to meet you," Rukia said politely, holding out a hand for the big teen to shake.

"What've you got there Chad?" Akira asked as he looked at the bird. It was staring at them and Akira got the feeling that there was more to that little birdie then met the eye.

"I got him a while ago," Chad answered. "He's supposed to be cursed."

"Cursed?" Akira asked. That definitely didn't sound good. If they weren't in such a public place then he might take out his wand and to a check on the bird but it was way too risky, plus Chad and Rukia didn't know about his magic so it most definitely wasn't a good idea.

"Yeah," Chad answered. "Apparently whoever owns this bird has some sort of accident."

"Are they fatal?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Chad replied. "I need to go. See you later Ichigo, Akira, Rukia." With that Chad turned and made his way down the street, the bird cage safely clutched in his strong hand.

"There's something off about this," Akira muttered as he stared after Chad.

"Definitely," Ichigo agreed.

"I got a strange feeling from the bird," Rukia said thoughtfully. "It was not normal."

"What could it be?" Akira asked.

"I don't know," Rukia muttered, her eyes narrowed as she gazed at Chad's retreating back.

-o0o-

Ichigo cursed as he dodged another blow from the hollow. Damn it but this one was annoying. Behind him he heard Akira tell him to duck. He did so without thinking and, thankfully, dodged another attack by the ugly-ass hollow.

 _ **"Damn it brat!"**_ The hollow boomed. _**"Hold still!"**_

"Not a chance in hell!" Ichigo retorted before raising his sword to block the hollow. "Why the hell are you chasing this kid anyway?"

 _ **"It's simple really,"**_ the hollow said, almost conversationally. _**"I'm having fun."**_

"Fun?" Akira and Ichigo asked at the same time.

 _ **"Exactly,"**_ the hollow replied. _**"He's the reason I'm like this. Before I died I would be what you**_ _ **considered**_ _ **a 'criminal'. I enjoyed what I did and I was good at it, I hadn't been caught, not enough evidence to catch me. Then one night I decided to have a little 'fun' after I saw this kid's mother enter her house. I followed her and well, had my fun."**_ The hollow laughed. Ichigo's eyes narrowed more and he hissed like an angry cat. Akira was glaring at the hollow. Rukia was injured from keeping the hollow distracted so she couldn't really do much.

 _ **"After I'd finished with her,"**_ the hollow continued. _**"I was about to be on my way when this little brat got in my way. We fell over the edge of the railing and we died. I've been following the brat ever since, said that if he could keep outta my jaws for a month then I'd bring his precious 'mommy' back."**_ The hollow laughed sickeningly at this and Akira felt a shiver run up his spine.

"How the hell is that possible?" Ichigo demanded.

 _ **"You fool!"**_ It laughed. _**"It's not! I lied to the brat. Of course I couldn't bring his little 'mommy' back! It was all a sport and I've enjoyed every single delicious moment of it. Thanks to this kid I've gotten my claws into o many tasty souls, including yours!"**_ with that the hollow lunged forward and opened it's mouth as if to eat Ichigo whole. Ichigo was too swift though and quickly leapt back so all it got was a mouthful of concrete.

"You bastard," Ichigo growled at it before leaping forward and swinging his sword down, attempting to cleave it's mask in half. He missed as the hollow dodged to the right and he managed to cut a long gash down the creature's arm. It howled in pain before spinning and trying to swipe at him again.

 _ **"I'll get you for that Shinigami,"**_ it hissed.

"Come and get me then," Ichigo challenged.

Meanwhile Akira had made his way over to Rukia and was looking her over. She'd done a good job of distracting the hollow before they'd come but she was pretty battered up. She had a few cuts and bruises running along her arms, legs and a couple on her face. Her right wrist was swollen and her left leg was bent at a slightly awkward angle.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I tried to dodge him and I wasn't fast enough," Rukia answered, sounding slightly bitter. "This body is so slow. My reflexes are not what they should be. I avoided his claws but unfortunately he managed to throw me into the wall behind me."

Akira lifted her wrist gently to check it. Rukia hissed at the pain the slight movement caused. Akira quickly apologized and bent his head to study it. From his brief training he could tell that it wasn't broken, just badly sprained. That was good at least. Her leg on the other hand was another matter. He was pretty sure that it was broken. Now he had a problem. Should he tell her about his magic? She'd told them about being a Shinigami and she'd given her powers to Ichigo. He knew about her but she didn't know about him. Was it fair that he was keeping it from her? Akira sucked in a breath before coming to a snap decision. He'd worry about the consequences later.

He quickly flicked his wrist and his wand snapped from the hidden pocket of his sleeve into his hand. It'd taken him a while to master that little trick but once he had it'd come in real handy. It only worked if his wand was within two feet of his body unfortunately so it was no use for summoning it from long range distances but it was still handy.

"What is that?" Rukia asked as she stared at the fancy 'stick' Akira was holding.

"You'll see," Akira replied. "Just hold still for a bit okay?" Rukia nodded warily but did as she was told. Akira took a deep breath before raising his wand and pointing it at her wrist which he'd let go of a minute ago.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered. "Suringuni Baindo" (Bind in a sling)

Immediately a thick cloth issued from the tip of Akira's wand and began to wind itself around Rukia's wrist. She gasped as it wrapped around her arm before Akira flicked his wand and a portion of it went around her neck and tied off making a sling.

"What the-"

"Not now!" Akira told her quickly. "I'll explain later. I think your leg's broken. If I get you a stick can you use it and me to lean on?"

"I think so," she replied carefully. Akira nodded before pointing his wand at a random brick and saying "Henkan" (Transform). As he did this he pictured the brick getting thinner and longer, it's stone atoms shifting into those of wood. Soon where the brick had once been there was a walking stick with a handle at the top shaped like a rabbit. Rukia shot him a slight glare but he only grinned at her. He couldn't resist. He'd seen her drawings and...lets just leave it at that.

Akira reached over and grabbed the stick and handed it to Rukia who grabbed it with her uninjured hand. Akira carefully grabbed her other shoulder and stood up, taking her with him carefully. Rukia hissed as she accidentally put pressure on her injured leg but quickly used the stick and Akira to balance. She panted slightly and Akira cast her a worried look.

"I'll be fine," she told him resolutely. She turned back to the fight and noticed that Ichigo was beginning to get the upper hand on the hollow.

"Take this!" Ichigo shouted as he swung his blade in a downwards ark, almost completely severing the hollow's right arm. It screeched in pain before using it's uninjured arm to swipe at Ichigo who, unfortunately, didn't quite dodge it and was sent flying.

"Ichigo!" Akira and Rukia called. Akira couldn't go to him, he was helping Rukia. Thankfully Ichigo didn't need it though as he quickly charged the hollow again, raising his sword and stabbing the hollow in the leg.

 _ **"You little bastard!"**_ The hollow shrieked.

"Look who's talking!" Ichigo retorted before jumping and swinging his sword so that it aimed for the hollow's neck. The creature knocked him aside though and Ichigo landed heavily. He struggled to his feet and growled at the hollow.

"I've had enough of this," Ichigo muttered as he stared at the hollow. "Time to end this."

Ichigo charged the hollow, ducking and dodging the swipes the creature sent his way. He wasn't going to back down this time. This bastard was not going to escape, not after what he put that kid through. The thought of the creature's lies gave Ichigo an extra boost of strength. He thought of his own mother and that was enough to push him over the edge. Raising his sword high he lept and broght it down hard on the hollow mask.

"Go to hell!" Ichigo yelled as he cleaved through the creature's skull before quickly jumping back to stand just in front of Akira and Rukia.

What happened next shocked Akira and Ichigo to their cores. Instead of just disappearing like an ordinary hollow would the creature in front of them continued to writhe in pain. The ground began to shake and it seemed to get darker all of a sudden.

"What the hell's going on?" Ichigo demanded.

"Hell's gate," Rukia muttered.

"What?" Akira asked.

"When we purify a hollow," she explained. "We can only absolve the deeds done while that person was a hollow. Any evil committed by a soul when it was still human we cannot effect. The evil ones, the truly twisted and demented beings who become hollows, we cannot save them. They are bound by their choices to face hell's gate."

As she had been speaking a huge gateway had appeared behind the hollow. It gave off a menacing presence and Akira felt a shiver go through him as he stared at it. The gate slowly began to open, showing a red mass of swirling energy. The hollow howled as the energy began to suck him in, drawing him into it's torrential vortex.

"What's happening to him?" Akira asked.

"He's being taken by the gate," Rukia answered, still leaning heavily on him. "He won't be able to harm anyone anymore, ever."

"You sure?" Ichigo asked.

"Positive," Rukia answered resolutely. "Now, we need to perform a Konsō."

"Not quite yet," Ichigo replied. "Chad and the kid need to say goodbye."

-o0o-

"Alright," Rukia said as she stared at Akira and Ichigo. "Start explaining please."

The three of them were in Ichigo's room. Rukia was on Akira's bed, stretched out so that her broken leg was resting comfortably. When they'd gotten back to the house they'd managed to sneak past Isshin and the twins to get upstairs. Akira had then proceeded to quickly perform a bone mending charm before wrapping Rukia's leg in thick bandage to make sure that it was undisturbed until it healed. She'd need to keep it still for the next few hours, possibly the next day or so, before it was back to normal. A trained medic-wizard would be able to heal it completely but Akira had only taken the beginner healing course so it was the best he could do. Akira and Ichigo were sitting on Ichigo's bed facing her. Akira sighed as he stared at the black haired Shinigami. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought.

"I'm a wizard," he said bluntly. "After regular school I get tutored to use magic."

"Magic?" Rukia asked, frowning. There wasn't any record of this in the Seireitei was there? She didn't think so. Wouldn't there be a mention of this somewhere? She put her thoughts aside for a moment and continued to listen to Akira as he began to explain. She found out about how he was adopted by the Kurosakis and that his birth name was Harry Potter. She heard stories of the magical communities in Japan and the UK. He'd glossed over the events that had happened at the Dursley's but Rukia could tell there was more, especially since Ichigo had grown at the mention of the name of Akira's biological aunt, uncle and cousin. Finally Akira explained about the lessons he was taking, about the different courses and showed her one of his transfiguration books. She's skimmed through a couple of the pages as he talked but she barely understood a word of it, perhaps because it was an advanced book. Finally he'd finished.

"Could you show me something?" Rukia asked him. "Apart from medical magic I mean. I've seen you do that enough thank you." She gestured at her leg with her newly healed wrist. Akira nodded before a mischievous grin spread across his face. Ichigo saw the look and backed up slightly. He knew that grin way too well. Akira usually got that look on his face when he was planning something.

"No problem Rukia," Akira said brightly. He raised his right hand and, without his wand, cast one of the first charms he'd learned. "Kuchu Fuyu Suru!"

Immediately Rukia was lifted into the air. She yelped as she felt herself floating in mid air. She glared at Akira who was grinning. Ichigo by now was laughing, seeing it as payback for when she'd bound him with her Kidō. Akira waved his hand about, directing Rukia in the air so that she floated in a figure of eight.

"Alright!" she shouted at him. "Now, put me down!"

"Alright," Akira said, still grinning. He carefully lowered his hand and set her gently on the bed, careful not to go to fast in case he accidentally jarred her still healing leg. "Good enough for you Rukia?" She nodded. She'd need to talk to Urahara about this. Come to think of it she needed to see him anyway. She needed some fixers for her Gigai, perhaps that would increase her reflexes a bit. She hated being in a Gigai, most Shinigami did. It felt restricting and uncomfortable, like you were in a really small room with no doors or windows.

"Can your magic be used on Hollows?" she asked Akira curiously. If so then it could be potentially useful. Akira shook his head though.

"I don't think so," he replied. "I tried to use a stunner when we saw the first hollow at the house. It didn't work, it just passed right through it."

"Any idea why that is?" Ichigo asked.

"Not a clue so far," Akira replied dismally. He was annoyed that he couldn't be more help. What use was his magic if he couldn't use it to help his big brother out of trouble when he was fighting Hollows? Rukia had a lot to consider. Her head was spinning slightly and she decided that it'd all make more sense after a good night's sleep.

"Can one of you help me into the wardrobe?" Rukia asked. "It's getting late and I'm tired."

"Sure," Ichigo replied, getting up and carefully lifting Rukia up. Akira opened the wardrobe door and Ichigo set Rukia down on the makeshift bed she'd created for herself. "See you tomorrow Rukia."

"Night," Akira told her as the door was closed.

"Goodnight Ichigo, Akira," Rukia replied as she lay back, pulled a blanket over herself and went to sleep, her dreams full of wand waving people wearing pointy hats."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 -shrugs- Can't think of a title. Gomen nasai!

-o0o-

Akira was dreaming. Normally this would worry him, usually his dreams didn't turn out so well but this felt somehow...different.

He found himself standing under a canopy of tall trees with leaves of emerald green and bark as black as shadow. He looked at the leaves more closely and felt his eyes go wide. Each leaf was a small, individual flame. The flames gave off no smoke, no sound as the flickered. Why weren't they burning the trees? The leaves gave little, if any at all, light. They certainly weren't a normal fire of any description. Even Floo powder used by the European wizards gave off light and it was green. What kind of fire was it?

Deciding that he'd figure it out later he faced forwards. Before him was a rocky ledge. He carefully stepped forward and looked over the edge. He caught his breath at the sight. Stretched out before him was a forest. The many trees seemed to blend together as their branches stretched towards the sky. It was made up entirely of those strange fiery trees. The light was neither day or night, it was in between. The whole forest was caught in twilight. Long shadows spread across the ground and branches swayed in an almost unfeeling breeze. It was then that Akira noticed the tree.

Now, you're probably wondering what I'm referring to right? Well, there were many trees that Akira could see but this one was different. For one thing it was much larger than the rest of the forest. If he had to guess he'd say that it was approximately three or four times bigger than the other trees. The branches spread out from the trunk and the fiery leaves glistened in the half light.

Akira closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air was fresh and clear. The rock under his feet was hard and unforgiving but he paid that no heed, for now just enthralled by the sight before him.

A sudden flapping sound caught his attention. He opened his eyes and noticed something, a shadow. It had appeared from between two branches of the large tree and was headed towards him. Quickly he retreated from the outcrop and took shelter under the canopy of trees he'd hidden under earlier. What was it? Whatever it was it had looked big. Could it be a bird? But what bird would want to nest in trees who's leaves were made of fire?

The flapping was getting louder, whatever it was it was coming closer. Akira shut his eyes. Why did he never have his wand when he dreamed? Just once he'd like to have that luxury in a dream but no, fate hated him so he'd have to do without it.

Akira darted behind one of the larger trees, hoping that whatever it was wouldn't see him in the shadows. As it drew closer Akira could discern a few features, not many but a few. The creature, whatever it was, had four legs, two wings, a long tail and neck. The legs looked muscular but not overly so. They looked sleek and powerful. The wings were large and because of the poor light he couldn't see any detail, only the fact that the wings caught the little light there was and absorbed it. The tail was long and seemed to sway behind the creature as it flew, ending in a teardrop or flame shape. That was what it looked like anyway, it was quite hard to tell. The neck was long, stretched out towards him. What really caught his attention were the eyes.

They were a deep, mesmerizing emerald green. The pupils were slitted and a bright silver. The eyes stared out of the black mass that was the creature's face, steady, unblinking, unimaginably deep and ancient. It reared in mid air, flapping it's wings and let lose an earth shaking roar. Akira clutched at his ears. The sound had caught him off guard. He shut his eyes, breathing deeply. Whatever it was it almost looked like a-

-o0o-

Akira sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

"Okay," he muttered as he got his breathing under control. "What the hell was that?"

He didn't get an answer, he didn't expect one. He looked around the room. It was early morning, the sun not too high in the sky. He looked at his clock, 7:48. Good thing today was a weekend.

It had been a few days since the incident with the parakeet. Rukia's injuries had healed up nicely and she was back to normal. Akira had also been able to study his books in the open again, something he was grateful for. It was quite hard to hide something from someone who was living in your wardrobe after all. He'd given her a copy of one of the basic Herbology books, figuring that that would be a book that she could actually understand. Herbology wasn't that different from normal Biology, just with normal plants. Rukia had found the book quite interesting, reading through it and learning about the various types of magical plants. She'd especially taken interest in the 'healing and helping' area of the book. That detailed plants that could be used to relieve pain, act as laxatives or just generally improve health. Once or twice she'd muttered something about 'Unohana-Taichou finding this useful' or something like that.

Speaking of Rukia where was she? The wardrobe door was open so she wasn't in there. He looked around the room and noticed that there was a note left on the desk. He carefully got up and padded over to read the note.

Be back in a while, needed to collect some supplies. Don't worry. -Rukia

Where exactly did a Shinigami get supplies and what were they? He'd need to ask her when she got back. He'd worry about that later though. Since today there was no regular school he'd need to catch up on his homework. He'd managed to fall behind slightly because of all the fuss over the last few days and he needed to set that straight. Sighing to himself he pulled his transfiguration book towards him and started work.

-o0o- _ ** _ **Urahara's Shop**_**_ -o0o-

Rukia approached the building slightly cautiously. Urahara may have helped her but that didn't mean that she trusted the guy, not for one moment. He was a weird one, there was no doubt about that. He was useful though. She needed some fixers and, maybe more importantly, she needed information.

As she approached she noticed two children outside sweeping. One was a boy, a red head who was glaring at the other kid, a girl with black hair and a sad expression on her face. The girl said something and the boy started to yell at her and raised his fist to hit her.

"Hey!" Rukia yelled at him. "Leave her alone!"

The red headed kid turned to glare at her fiercely. "What're you gonna do about it?" he challenged her. Rukia smirked as the door behind the kid opened.

"I won't do anything," She replied, too sweetly. "But I think he will."

The kid turned around and was lifted by the back of his shirt by a large man wearing an apron and a sour look on his face.

"Jinta," the giant boomed. "What have I told you about disturbing the customers and hurting Ururu?"

"N-not to do it," Jinta stuttered.

"Good." With that the giant dropped Jinta back to the ground. Ururu reached out a hand to help him but he batted it away and stood up.

"Hello Kuchiki-san," the giant addressed Rukia, bowing slightly.

"Tessai-san," she answered back.

"Please come in," Tessai told her, gesturing to the still open door of the store. Rukia smiled gratefully at him, sent a smug look at the still glaring Jinta and entered the shop.

"Why, Kuchiki-san!" Urahara exclaimed as he caught sight of her. He was a strange one no mistake, with his green striped hat and that fan he constantly waved in front of his face. "What a surprise! What are you here for?"

"A few things actually," she replied. "Firstly, I need more fixers for this Gigai."

"You sure about that?" Urahara asked her, reaching up to collect a small box from a shelf above his head. "You do realize that if you use too much of these it'll be painful when you have to leave that Gigai."

"I know," she answered. "But I need them. Did you get my order in?"

"Sorry Kuchiki-san," Urahara replied. "They haven't come in yet. There was the other version..."

"No," Rukia said firmly. "Sorry Urahara-san but I won't take the second best."

"Any particular reason you don't like ducks?" he asked curiously.

"Never mind that now," Rukia told him. "Tell me, have you heard of wizards?"

Urahara froze for a moment, staring at her. His eyes, covered by the brim of his striped hat, had widened at her question although thanks to the shadow cast Rukia couldn't see it. This could get troublesome. How did she know about them? 'Better ask her,' he thought.

"Where'd you hear about wizards?" he asked, managing to pull off a very convincing, if he did say so himself, innocent act.

"Ichigo's brother, Akira, claims to be a wizard. I was curious if you had information about them. I've seen his abilities and I believe him. Now, the question is if I should involve the soul society in this."

Urahara internally winced, that was the last thing that should be done. True some were aware of the wizards but they were few and far between, mostly people who had once been wizards and not many of those actually became Shinigami. 'Better play it safe,' he thought as he stared at the petite Shinigami in front of him.

"I've heard of them," he said vaguely. "They aren't aware of the Shinigami though. Their magic is similar, if a bit different, to Kidō. It's a bit more versatile though."

"I've noticed," Rukia answered. "He let me look through a few of his books."

"Really?" Urahara asked interestingly. That didn't happen often. Usually wizards were more guarded with their methods and secrets.

"Yes," Rukia answered. "He said something about being honest since I have been open with them." She felt slightly guilty that she hadn't told them about Shikai but there wasn't a reason to. She'd have her powers back soon, hopefully, so there really wasn't a reason to teach Ichigo about Shikai. It was doubtful that he'd actually be able to attain it anyway and it was unlikely that they'd face any hollows that required it. Urahara was having the same thought process. Well, it was similar at least. Who knows what really goes on in Urahara's mind after all? I don't and I don't think that anyone else has any idea so we'll just leave it at that.

"You've got a good friend there Kuchiki-san," Urahara said seriously, traces of humor and playfulness gone for a moment. "I'd be careful what you do with that."

Rukia nodded. She wouldn't inform the Seireitei, at least not yet. Urahara was right, this was important. Besides, the last thing she wanted was for Kurotsuchi-Taichou to get his hands, or whatever he had, into Akira. She wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even a hollow! The man, if he could be called that, was just too twisted for everyone's good. She felt pity for his Lieutenant, she really did.

"Thank you anyway Urahara-san," she told him.

"Not a problem Kuchiki-san!" he replied brightly, his normal attitude back in it's rightful place. She paid for her fixers and quickly headed out of the store. Jinta and Ururu were still there and the kid cast her a hateful glare while Ururu waved at her. Rukia tossed a smirk over her shoulder at the red head before waving back at Ururu and making her way back to the Kurosaki Clinic. She'd just go in through the front door, make like she was just visiting her friends. That should be believable enough. Then again their dad was...how did you describe the man? Rukia wasn't sure and she doubted that she ever would. There was just something about the guy, she didn't know what but it was definitely nagging at her. Well, that and his attitude. That man was definitely the strangest person she'd ever met, minus Urahara of course although he did come a close second. She shuddered, how were his children still sane after living with him for so long? She really wasn't sure she wanted to answer to that, she really, really wasn't.

-o0o-

Days went by and they managed to get into a routine of sorts. When Rukia's pager alerted them to a hollow Ichigo would either excuse himself to go to the bathroom or Akira would use his magic to cause a slight distraction shall we say that either caused the class to be excused or created an excuse for Ichigo and Rukia to have to go. It wasn't likely that the teachers would buy the excuse of 'bathroom' after only a ten minute difference in time.

Ichigo's skills as a Shinigami were improving gradually. He no longer flinched quite so much when he brought his massive sword down on a hollow's head and he was getting faster, stronger somehow. Rukia had to admit that she was impressed at the speed his skills were improving. If he'd been learning Kidō at the same rate he'd be among the top rookies at the academy, she was pretty sure of it. He didn't have the control for that though. That was partly a blessing and a curse. Because of his immense spiritual pressure and subsequent lack of control it would be practically impossible to teach him Kidō, he'd probably end up either blowing himself or his surroundings up. At least it was an excuse not to teach it to him. On the downside it made it almost impossible for Ichigo to sense hollows sometimes as they were so weak that they didn't actually register on his 'Spirit Sense' as Akira had dubbed it. This made tracking the buggers by himself a lot harder. It was a good thing that her soul pager still worked, that and the fact that Akira had gotten pretty good and sensing hollows. Rukia wondered how skilled Akira would be if he became a Shinigami. It was an interesting question, one she was going to get the answer to a lot sooner than either her, Ichigo and Akira were comfortable with.

-o0o-

'It's tomorrow,' Ichigo thought dismally as he stared out the window of his and Akira's bedroom. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and everyone else seemed to be in better moods than normal. That was definitely not how Ichigo felt.

His stomach was churning and his chest felt tight as he stared outside, not really seeing it. His thoughts were focused solely on that day, the day all those years ago.

"Ichigo," Akira said softly from behind him. Ichigo turned to look at his brother. Akira's emerald eyes were shining with worry as he stared at Ichigo. "You know you can't keep doing this to yourself right?"

"I know," Ichigo muttered. "Doesn't mean that it's easy."

"I didn't say it was," Akira replied. "If I'd been there then I would feel the same but I wasn't. If only I'd come with you that day, maybe I could have done, I don't know, something!"

"What could you have done?" Ichigo asked. "You weren't trained at the time."

"I know," Akira muttered. "That doesn't mean I still don't think it."

Rukia was watching them worriedly. She'd never seen Ichigo like this before. This morning when he'd gotten up he'd actually smiled. This in itself set alarm bells going in her mind. Ichigo didn't smile, that was one thing she'd learned during her time here. He never smiled unless it was at Yuzu, Karin or Akira. His seemingly cheerful attitude had persisted throughout the school day and that had simply heightened her sense of unease. Something was most definitely wrong here. She didn't know what though. She'd need to ask Akira later, maybe he'd be able to shed some light on what was going on. She wouldn't interrupt though. This was clearly something personal, private, to them and she didn't want to get involved.

"Hey Rukia," Ichigo said abruptly. Rukia jolted, not expecting Ichigo to turn to her quite so suddenly. "I'm gonna need tomorrow off."

She stared at him uncomprehendingly. He wanted tomorrow off? Why? What was so important that he couldn't take the time to fight hollows? She was just about to ask him, quite rudely if she was honest with herself, what he was thinking but then she caught sight of Akira behind Ichigo. Her blue-violet eyes met his emerald green orbs and something passed between them. She closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Ichigo again, his amber eyes focused on her completely.

"Is it alright if I think about it for a bit Ichigo?" she asked him. She noticed his lips tightening slightly but she didn't comment. Whatever this was that was messing with Ichigo it was big, she was sure of it.

"Whatever," he said, seemingly uncaring before he walked out of the room, almost but not quite slamming the door behind him. Akira sighed as he stared after Ichigo before he looked at Rukia. She asked one question.

"Why?"

"Tomorrow," Akira said slowly, seeming to choose his words with care. "Tomorrow's the anniversary of the day that our mom was killed."

Rukia's eyes widened at that. Out of everything that Akira could have said that was the last thing she'd expected. It made a bit of sense now, Ichigo's sudden attitude change, the fake smile, the apparently friendliness, it all became clear. A sudden wash of sympathy passed through her. She knew what it felt like to lose a family member. She knew that she wasn't as close to her older sister, Hisana, as Akira and Ichigo were to their mother but she could understand it. An old wound ached as she thought about Hisana. She'd been so small when her sister had left her alone, saying that she couldn't look after Rukia anymore. What they were going through, the hurt, it had to be worse than that.

"How did it happen?" Rukia asked quietly.

"I'm not completely sure," Akira admitted. "Mom and Ichigo were on their way back from the dojo where we trained. I'd been sick that day so I wasn't there. It was raining, I remember that much. I won't say more though, if Ichigo wants to tell you then he will. He blames himself though."

Rukia nodded at that. It was clear in the orangette's eyes, the guilt, the pain. That kind of ache never went away, she should know, she experienced the same feeling about Kaien-dono. It was different though. Ichigo didn't kill his mother. She was the one that stabbed Kaien-dono through the chest. She pushed that memory away, now wasn't the time to think about it.

"What will you do tomorrow?" she asked.

"We'll go to mom's grave site," Akira answered. "We do it every year, pay our respects. I think it eases the pain a little, for all of us."

-o0o-

The sun was high in the sky by the time they'd made it to the base of the hill. The graveyard was situated at the very top.

"Alright!" Isshin exclaimed as he stared at his children. "Lets get going!"

With that Isshin quickly set off at a fast pace. Akira shrugged at Ichigo and his sisters before following. Pretty soon they passed Isshin who was panting.

"Stupid old goat," Karin commented.

"Now now Karin," Yuzu chided "Don't be so mean."

"To goats," Akira commented offhandedly. Karin and Ichigo snorted in laughter at that. Or, Karin did, Ichigo gave a sort of noncommittal noise in response to his brother's attempt at humor. Akira sighed.

"Come on Ichigo," Akira said, gripping his arm. "Lets walk ahead for a bit."

Ichigo nodded before to pair sped up slightly, Akira having to go a bit faster than Ichigo to keep up. Damn his shortness!

"Hey Ichigo!" Karin called from behind them. "Isn't that that new kid from your class ahead of us?"

Ichigo looked up sharply and a dark scowl passed across his face. A bit ahead of them stood Rukia. She smiled at them slightly and leaned against a nearby tree. She was wearing a white dress with some blue trim around the neck, the bottom and short sleeves. It looked a bit like one of Yuzu's. It probably was now that Akira thought about it.

"A friend?" Isshin asked from behind. Suddenly it was like he'd gotten all his energy back and he began to charge up the hill in an attempt to reach Rukia. "Oh Rukia-ch-"

He was cut off abruptly as Karin turned around and gave him a vicious kick. He spluttered for a moment before falling backwards and tumbling back down the hill.

"Take that you crazy old fart," Karin muttered before continuing up the hill as if she hadn't just kicked her father in the gut.

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo demanded harshly as he and Akira reached Rukia.

"Well," Rukia looked around. They were in a deserted area, not many people came to the graveyard. Today was a nice enough day. The sun was shining and the sky was a deep blue. Trees rustled in a slight breeze and their shadows moved on the ground as the leaves waved through the air. An occasional bird song split the quiet, ti was a nice feeling. "Can I talk to you a moment Ichigo?"

"Go," Akira suggested. "We won't start until you get there."

Ichigo scowled but followed Rukia into the trees. Isshin had recovered, somehow, and had raced up the hill, going past Karin too fast for her to boot him back down the hill again. He stopped by Akira and looked left and right for any sign of his oldest son.

"Where did Ichigo go?" he asked.

"To talk with Rukia," Akira answered. "He shouldn't be too long."

"To talk...with a girl?" Isshin asked, a grin spreading across his face. "Ah! My son! All grown up!"

"Shut up!" Akira told him bluntly. Isshin didn't listen though, going on about how 'grown up' his boy was becoming. Akira sweat-dropped before deciding enough was enough. Taking a page out of Karin's book he kicked the old goat from behind causing him to fall face first into the dirt. Casting an annoyed glance at his father Akira continued up the hill to the graveyard. Could his father be any more annoying? Somehow Akira was sure of it.

-o0o-

When they finally reached it the graveyard it was completely still. There was no one else around and the sun cast shadows, covering some of the graves in a thin layer of shade. Akira breathed in deeply, enjoying the freshness of the air. There weren't many places where the air was so fresh and that was one of the things he liked about this place. 'Mom would have loved it too,' he thought. It was true, Masaki Kurosaki loved the fresh air. Sometimes she'd complain about the air, claiming that it was too heavy and polluted. He knew that she would have never left Karakura though. It was her home and besides, if she moved then she couldn't help so many people and that was the one thing she loved most, helping people. Akira smiled, he was sure Ichigo got that from her.

The four of them made their way towards Masaki's grave. Akira smiled gently as he looked at the white stone. It was slightly beaten and weather worn but you could still see the writing engraved into it.

"I'll be back in a bit kids," Isshin said. "I just need to take care of something." He left without another word. The three Kurosaki children stared after him. What was that about? Akira shrugged it off for now, just figuring it was another of his father's weird habits. He hadn't done this before though, not on this day anyway. Yuzu stepped closer to the grave. There were tears in her eyes as she stared at the stone. Karin stepped forward beside her twin, holding back tears. She wouldn't cry. She'd done enough of that when she was younger, she had to be strong, for Yuzu. If she wasn't strong for Yuzu then who would be? There was Akira and Ichigo of course but Karin was closer to Yuzu, they were twins after all. They might seem worlds apart but they were close, just as close as Akira and Ichigo. Speaking of Ichigo, where was he?

Karin looked around the graveyard and there was still no sign of his distinctive orange hair. Where the hell was he?

"Chill Karin," Akira told her, seemingly to read her thoughts as he looked at her. "Ichigo won't be too much longer."

Yuzu was ignoring them for now, concentrating on the grave marker.

"I'll leave you two for a minute," Akira told them. "I won't be far and it'll give you some time alone with mom, you okay with that?"

"Sure," Karin replied absently. "Go ahead."

Akira nodded before walking down the path of the graveyard, the opposite direction that his father had gone in. He wouldn't go far though. He wouldn't leave his sisters unprotected. He wouldn't baby them though, that was the last thing they needed.

He was deep in thought when he noticed something, something wrong. It was on the edge of his senses, there but yet, not. It was very strange. Then he realized what it was. How the hell could he have been so stupid? He should have recognized it for what it was immediately, a hollow. Cursing he quickly spun around and made his way back to Yuzu and Karin. He had to hurry. As he rounded a corner he froze, his eyes going impossibly wide as he stared at the scene before him.

Yuzu had been flung against a headstone and was slump forward, her head against her chest. Her eyes were closed. That worried Akira but that wasn't what he was focusing on though. One of the largest hollows he'd ever seen held Karin in an iron grip. It's face was stretched into a twisted leer as it stared at Karin hungrily. It's tale whipped back and forth behind it as it gazed at Karin hungrily. Karin coughed harshly as it let out a rancid breath straight in her face. How disgusting. Hollow breath was not one of the most pleasant odors she'd ever had the pleasure of smelling.

 _ **"You'll make a fine snack,"**_ The hollow told her, opening it's disgusting maw to try and swallow her. That broke Akira out of his daze and he rushed forward, drawing his wand. He knew that it probably wouldn't be much use but he had to do something! Even if it just distracted the hollow for a bit. Ichigo and Rukia were near, they should be here soon right? Rukia's pager should pick up this thing right?

"Oi! Put her down!" He yelled as he got closer. The hollow looked at him and laughed.

 _ **"What can you do against me?"**_ It taunted as it stared at Akira. _**"You can't hurt me, not with a stick."**_

"Shimo hi!"(Frost Fire) The spell shot out of Akira's wand like a flash and headed straight for the hollow. The hollow was surprised so involuntarily let go of Karin who plummeted to the ground. Akira cast a quick cushioning charm on the ground to prevent her from hurting herself. He turned back to the hollow just as the spell hit. Just as he'd thought, it did nothing. The hollow looked down at it's leg and began to laugh.

 _ **"You think that will stop me?"**_ it taunted. _**"How pathetic. If you're so keen to be eaten though, I think I'll indulge you."**_ With that the hollow quickly bypassed Karin and Yuzu and straight for Akira. Akira, quickly assessing the situation, turned and began running down the stone path. 'Good,' he thought as the chanced a look back. The hollow was still after him and closing in. 'If he's chasing me then he's not going after them. I just need to keep this up until Ichigo and Rukia get here. Please hurry.' The past part was a silent prayer to Ichigo. He could only outrun a hollow that size for so long after all.

Akira quickly rounded a corner and ducked behind a nearby headstone. The hollow rounded the corner but didn't notice him and kept running. Akira breathed a sigh of relief but it was short lived.

 _ **"Got you!"**_ Akira quickly dodged to the right as the hollow's clawed arm swiped at him. It missed and tore through the headstone. Akira sent a silent apology to whoever was buried under there before quickly running again, making sure to lead the hollow away from Karin and Yuzu.

 _ **"You can't keep this up much longer boy,"**_ The hollow taunted. _**"You're tiring, I can feel it!"**_

The hollow was right, he was getting tired. Running for your life will do that to a person. Damn it! The hollow was closing in!

'Come on Ichigo,' Akira thought. 'Where's a Shinigami when you need one?'

The hollow suddenly lunged at him. Akira, caught off guard slightly, couldn't dodge the hollow entirely and as he tried to move out of the way got a claw in his back. Akira hissed as the razor like blade of the hollow's claw tore a line down his back from the top of his right shoulder all the way down to his left hip. He could feel the warm blood gushing from the wound. He staggered, his eyes screwed shut in an effort not to scream. It felt like liquid fire was searing along the wound, burning him from the inside out. The hollow laughed as he looked at it's handiwork. The human was as good as his. Akira stumbled to s headstone and used it to lean on but he slumped to the ground. Great, he was helpless. He'd accidentally dropped his wand and it lay about eight feet from him. He tried to summon it but as he raised his hand to try pain shot through his back and he hissed. Okay, that wasn't going to work. Damn it! The hollow was closing in, a sick grin twisting it's already grotesque features.

Just then Akira noticed a shadow passing overhead, going straight towards the hollow. He looked up and felt his body flood with relief. It was Ichigo.

"Get away from my brother you bastard!"

Yes, that was most definitely Ichigo. Akira smiled weakly as Ichigo battled the hollow. His skills had clearly improved over the last few weeks.

"Akira!" came a voice behind him. Akira turned to see Rukia running towards him, a worried look on her face. This morphed into one of extreme concern as she took in the wound the hollow had inflicted.

"Can you heal yourself?" she asked worriedly, handing him his wand. She'd picked it up immediately after spotting it lying on the ground.

"I don't think so," Akira gritted out. "I can mend bones and heal scratches but this, I can feel it. It's cut through more than just skin. I'm lucky it didn't cut my rib cage in half."

"Can you at least stop yourself from bleeding out?" Rukia asked, her eyes shining with concern. If only she had more reiatsu, then she might be able to use a healing kido. Damn this Gigai!

"I'll try, help me aim."

Rukia helped Akira maneuver his left arm into a position so that it was pointing at his back. The gash prevented him from moving his right arm so his left would have to do.

'Here goes nothing,' he thought. "chi ryū wo tomeru!" (Stop blood flow)

Immediately the volume of blood spilling from his back lessened to a trickle. It didn't relieve the pain though and Akira hissed as Rukia moved him to a better position. He turned his head towards where Ichigo and the Hollow were still going at it. It seemed like there was a pause. What had he missed?

"You bastard," Ichigo hissed at the hollow.

 _ **"You think so do you boy?"**_ the hollow taunted. Akira then noticed something that he hadn't seen before. The hollow had something standing in front of him, it was connected to the hollow by a thin strand or chain. It was a girl.

"What the hell," he muttered as he stared at the girl. The hollow laughed.

 _ **"You**_ _ **recognize**_ _ **it, don't you Shinigami,"**_ The hollow spat the word 'Shinigami' as if it was the worse curse word he could think of. _**"You remember it."**_

"She was there," Ichigo whispered, barely loud enough for Akira and Rukia to hear. "She was the one I saw, that day."

Now Akira understood completely. It all seemed to click into place. His eyes widened and he tried to move forward but ended up hissing as the motion caused sharp needles of pain to dig into him from his back.

 _ **"Recognize my lure do you?"**_ The hollow taunted. _**"You should. After all, if you hadn't seen it I never would have gotten my claws into that delicious morsel. It was your mother was it not**_ _ **Shinigami**_ _ **? What a pity. You had the higher spiritual pressure but**_ _ **what**_ _ **can I say? I've always had a certain weakness for women."**_

"You bastard!" Without a second thought Ichigo charged the hollow, swinging his blade down with a cry. That thing had killed his mother. He would make it pay!

"This isn't good," Rukia muttered, staring at teh hollow.

"What is it Rukia?" Akira asked her quietly.

"Grand Fisher," she murmured. "We've been trying to kill him for the last fifty years. So far he's escaped our grasp. He's taken many Shinigami from us." Akira's eyes widened and he turned his head to look at her. Was she serious? This thing had managed to eat some of the Shinigami. This didn't bode well for Ichigo, not in the slightest.

Back in the battle Ichigo was swiping and dodging at the hollow. The hollow made a grab for him but Ichigo blocked it with his blade and swung the huge sword down to try and cleave off the thing's arm. The hollow jumped back to avoid him but it wasn't quite quick enough. Ichigo had managed to catch it in the chest. A deep wound cut through the hollow's chest, going from just above his hollow hole, passing through it and continuing down it's abdomen. Black hollow blood gushed from the wound. Ichigo carried on the attack, running forwards and jabbing at the hollow. The hollow blocked most of the blows but a few still managed to pierce it's hide. It hissed as and spat at Ichigo as he attacked Grand Fisher. Akira could feel Ichigo's spiritual pressure rising as he got more and more furious, his strikes becoming wilder and wilder as he forced the hollow backwards.

 _ **"You little brat,"**_ the hollow hissed at him. _**"I will not forget this! One day soon, I will come for you and next time, next time you won't be so lucky Ichigo Kurosaki! I can promise you that!"**_

Before anyone could say or do anything the hollow seemed to tear a whole in the air and jumped through it. Ichigo tried to follow but the hole closed before he had a chance to. Ichigo cursed before placing his sword back on his back. He turned to look at Akira and his eyes widened in horror.

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed as he quickly ran over to Akira. "How bad is it?"

"Bad," came a voice from behind. Ichigo turned quickly to face the new comer. Akira looked up and his eyes widened. Another Shinigami. When had he gotten here? And why hadn't he been helping Ichigo? "The hollow cut deep into his back. There is no way to heal a wound such as that, at least none of us here are capable of such a feat. Only members of the Fourth Division have experience enough with healing Kidō to do that."

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed, bending down and examining the wound. Some blood still flowed from it despite Akira's best efforts and he was looking pale. His green eyes seemed to stand out even more than usual against the sickly paler of his skin.

"There has to be something, anything!" Ichigo snarled as he stared at Akira. He couldn't let this happen. He wouldn't let his brother die. Suddenly an idea hit. He turned to Rukia. "What happens to my body when I leave it?"

Rukia blinked at him, caught completely off guard by the question. "Your body goes into stasis when your soul is freed from it," she answers carefully. "It does not age and unless an outside force interferes it doesn't..." She trailed off, her eyes widening as she realized just what Ichigo was thinking. "Are you crazy!" she yelled at him, getting to her feet. "You don't even know if it will work!"

"I have to try!" Ichigo shot back. "If I don't then he'll die anyway!"

"What are you two talking about?" Akira mumbled. His mind was beginning to go fuzzy and he couldn't think straight. Everything was blurring at the edges, like it used to before he had his eyes corrected.

"I'm gonna stab you with my Zanpakutō," Ichigo told him. "Are you okay with that?" Akira tried to pull his mind from the fog. He had to think rationally. If his soul was out of his body then it was in stasis, meaning he couldn't get any worse right? That would be something and if he was out of his body he might be able to patch it up right? He might not still have his magic but it was worth a shot. If he didn't then he'd find out what the soul society was like way sooner then he'd be comfortable with.

"Do it," he muttered finally, closing his eyes. "Just do it and get it over with please." Ichigo nodded before drawing his blade again. He took a deep breath. 'Pleas let this work,' he silently said in his head as he held his blade over Akira's chest. 'Please, please, please work!' Before he could hesitate Ichigo plunged the sword down and through Akira's chest.

Immediately a huge surge of reiatsu burst from Akira's body so that they were all thrown back. It was just like what happened when Ichigo's abilities were awakened. The headstone behind Akira had shattered under the pressure and dust covered the area where Akira's body lay. Ichigo coughed and squinted through the smoke. 'Please let this have worked,' he silently thought. It was then that he saw the figure in the smoke. As it dispersed he let out a sigh of relief. It was Akira.

He looked different. He was wearing the traditional Shinigami outfit but there were a few changes. For one thing instead of the sash being white it was a deep emerald green, as was the white lining the upper half of his outfit. Whatever there was supposed to be white there was green. It suited him. Ichigo also noticed that Akira wasn't wearing traditional zori sandals. Instead he was wearing a pair of boots that disappeared under his hakama. They were emerald green also and highlighted in silver with strange fire designs. His sword was across his back like Ichigo's and the sash that held it was silver and seemed to glitter slightly with emerald dust. He could just see the hilt poking over Akira's shoulder. It was simple but it wasn't a Katana like a normal Shinigami blade. Instead it was foreign, possibly European in origin with black cloth wrapped around the grip.

Ichigo felt a smirk pull at his lips as he stared at Akira. His brother definitely suited the Shinigami outfit. Akira reached around and felt along his back. There was no wound. The hollow had inflicted damage to the body and, thankfully, not the soul.

"We need to work quickly," Rukia said. Ichigo blinked and looked down at her. He'd forgotten about her.

"Allow me," said the Shinigami that Akira didn't know. "May I?" He asked, looking at the newly transformed Shinigami. Akira, caught off guard, nodded slightly. The Shinigami approached his fallen body and carefully maneuvered it so that the wound was facing upwards. Akira winced, he really did look awful or, at least his body did. It felt strange. He looked down at himself and ran his hand over the hilt of the sword at his back.

"The body is in stasis," The stranger said, breaking Akira from his thoughts. "Because of this the blood-flow has stopped. This will give us more time to heal the wound. I am no master of Kidō but I should be able to at least ensure that the body does not die of blood loss."

"Do it," Rukia said. The stranger just nodded and held his hands over the body. Immediately green energy sprang from his hands and enveloped the wound. Akira could see the strain on the stranger's face. Whatever he was doing it was obviously tiring. As Akira watched he saw some of the muscle begin to repair itself, the skin begin to knit together and the wound to look less inflamed. After a few minutes of watching the stranger gasped and dropped his hands, the green glow leaving them as he collapsed against a neighboring headstone.

"I can't do more than that," he admitted as he stared at his handiwork. "The wound will not be life threatening any more, unless it is infected of course."

"Why are you helping us now?" Ichigo demanded. "A while ago you were set on killing me?"

"I caused this, in part," the stranger admitted. "If I had only sensed the hollow before it had gotten so close, this could have been prevented. I wished to help set right my mistake."

"So what now?" Akira asked, deciding that he'd get the full story from Ichigo later. He rubbed his head, he was getting a headache. Just fantastic.

"Now, I go back to the soul society," the stranger said, standing up. "Be careful Rukia. You can't keep this up forever."

With those parting words the Shinigami lept into the air and disappeared into the many trees surrounding the graveyard. Akira looked around him, it all looked peaceful again. How could this place have been a battlefield not long ago? He looked at Ichigo who was still staring after the Shinigami.

"Akira?" Rukia asked him tentatively. He turned and looked at her questioningly. "Can you, can you still access your magic? When you're in spirit form I mean, perhaps you could heal your back some more before we move you."

"I don't know," he admitted. He could still feel his magic, pulsing under his skin. But then again he could feel his reiatsu when he was in his body so that didn't mean much did it?

"There's only one way to find out though." Grasping his wand tightly he pointed it at his back and muttered a healing spell he'd learned. It wasn't designed for a wound this big but it would have to do. It was better than nothing and if it didn't work then at least they knew that that option was out. It was better to find out now rather than in a battle situation after all. "Can you two lift my body up a bit please?" Ichigo and Rukia did as instructed. Rukia too his legs gently and Ichigo too the shoulders and head, supporting them carefully. Together they hoisted Akira's body a few inches off the ground. "That's fine." Taking a deep breath Akira raised his wand and muttered the spell.

"Hōtai de tsutsumu," (Wrap in Bandages)

Immediately a long white bandage issued from Akira's wand and began to wind itself around his body. Akira was so surprised that his magic actually still worked that he almost dropped his wand. In truth he hadn't been expecting much. He quickly got his mind back on track thourh and focused completely on the task at hand. The cloth was thicker than the one he'd used to bind Rukia's wrist a while ago and it looked stronger. It kept winding around his body and Akira slowly moved his wand up his body's spinal column, directing the bandages to wrap all the way around his body. He also directed them to go over one shoulder, the right one, and finished it off by tightening them up before releasing the spell so that the cloth stopped issuing from his wand.

"That should hold it," Akira said after a moment. "I'll need to change them later but for now they'll hold."

"That's good," Ichigo said, letting out a sigh of relief. Rukia was looking at Akira curiously. If he could still use his magic was it possible that others could too? It was definitely something to think about. Suddenly Ichigo's eyes widened. "Shit!"

"What is it Ichigo?" Akira asked worriedly.

"What the hell are we gonna tell Goat face, Yuzu and Karin?"


	7. Chapter 7: Of Quinces and Menos Grande

Chapter 7: Of Quincies and Menos Grande

-o0o-

For the next few days after the incident at the graveyard Akira was confined to bed rest by Isshin and Ichigo. Surprisingly father and son agreed on something for once, Akira was not to be allowed outside under any circumstances.

They'd had a hell of a time explaining Akira's injury to the rest of the family. They managed to explain it away by saying that Akira had almost been 'mugged' but before the guy could do any real (as in permanent) damage Ichigo had come and had managed to get the guy to leave. Karin had looked at the skeptically but said nothing. That was one occasion Akira was glad for the memory spell Rukia used. There was no way he wanted to explain this to his sisters, not a chance.

Akira had protested vehemently at being confined but there was nothing he could say or do that would change the minds of father and son. It was quite creepy for the three younger siblings really, seeing Ichigo and goat face agree on something. Karin privately thought that it was a sign of impending doom while Yuzu found it a blessing. Now if only they could stop arguing about everything else! Akira just found it annoying but he didn't say that. So for the next few days he was confined to his bed. He wasn't bored all the time though. He managed to do a lot of studying so he didn't fall behind in school or magic. After all, they hadn't forbidden him from practicing his magic and that, at least, was a blessing. At least he wouldn't die of complete and utter boredom.

His transfiguration practice was coming along. Now he could conjure simple things from mid air like a ball or a cane, simple things that were all made of the same substance. It was when things started getting more complicated taht it became tricky. For example he couldn't conjure plants. There were so many different parts to a plant, the roots, the phloem and xylem vessels in the stem, the leaves, the cambium layers, the flowers...the list went on and on. If it was this hard to conjure plants then it was going to be even harder to conjure animals. Akira shuddered, he was not looking forward to seeing the results of his mess ups when he got onto that particular topic.

Finally, after almost a week of confinement Akira was allowed to leave his holding cell...I mean bedroom, and return to school.

Predictably Akira was the center of attention for a while, people clamoring for his attention, asking questions and generally being annoying. Ichigo, Rukia and Tatsuki managed to protect him for the most part although Tatsuki did ask some awkward questions that they couldn't answer. Rukia offered to change the memories of the students and teachers so that they thought that Akira had never been missing but Akira didn't want to do that. He didn't like wiping people's minds and he wouldn't' do it for personal gain.

They also had to deal with the fact that Akira was now a Shinigami. After another week Ichigo finally deemed Akira 'well' enough to be let out of his body. Akira had rolled his eyes at his brother's over-protectiveness but he couldn't really blame the orangette for it so just shrugged it off. Now, here's where it begins.

The three of them, Ichigo, Rukia and Akira were in the bedroom which had become their unofficial 'meeting place'. They all technically lived in it so that wasn't much of a surprise.

"We need to make it look like you two are asleep," Rukia said as she pulled on her strange glove thing. It was night so the sky outside was a dark blue-black color with a few stars that were barely visible thanks to the lights of Karakura. There wasn't a moon tonight so it was quite dark outside, one of the best nights for hunting hollows. "Lie down on your bed and then I'll release your souls from you bodies."

They did as she instructed, lying down on their beds and pulling the covers over themselves to make it look like they were asleep. Akira pulled out a small recorder from somewhere and set it on the nightstand. When Rukia looked at him questioningly he just smirked.

"It won't really work if they don't hear us breathing," he said as if it was obvious. He turned on the recording and the sound of two sets of heavy breathing filled the room. Ichigo smirked, trust Akira to think of something like that. Rukia had to admit that it was a good idea. If one of the twins came in later then they'd think that Ichigo and Akira were merely asleep. Them just lying there without making a sound would probably freak the younger girls out, definitely not something that Rukia wanted to do.

"That should give us roughly two and a half hours," Akira said.

"That should be enough," Rukia replied. "Ready?" They nodded and Rukia quickly hit them over the heads. Immediately their spirit forms burst from their bodies and landed on the floor, Akira almost falling flat on his face if Ichigo hadn't caught him.

"Not funny," Akira muttered as he stood straight, brushing Ichigo's hand away. Ichigo only smirked and Rukia chuckled before taking a closer look at Akira's outfit. It was quite different from most of the uniforms. That wasn't to say that some didn't customize their uniform but it was still quite odd. The emerald green of the outfit matched Akira's eyes perfectly and the black of the shihakusho (death garment) seemed to be a shade or two lighter than Akira's midnight hair. She wasn't sure how that was possible but she pushed it aside for now.

"Hey Rukia," Ichigo said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you."

"What is it Ichigo?" Rukia replied.

"Well," Ichigo paused, frowned, then continued. "When you gave me your powers you lost yours completely right?"

"That's right," Rukia nodded.

"So why do I still have them when they were given to Akira?"

Rukia paused and thought for a moment. In truth that hadn't really crossed her mind. She looked at the two brothers and frowned in concentration. How was it possible? She'd definitely need to talk to Urahara about this. If there was one thing that man was good for it was solving riddles and unfortunately this family was proving to be one huge riddle after another.

"I cannot say for sure," she finally answered Ichigo's question. "For now we should probably concentrate on the hollows." 'Please don't push,' she silently thought as they studied her. She didn't want to tell them about the penalty for giving her powers to another. The last thing she wanted to do was get them into even more shit then they already had to deal with. She was already feeling guilty and she didn't think she could stand it if they got killed because of her, because she was too stubborn to use her Shikai when it could have prevented all of this, just because of what happened last time.

Ichigo nodded, accepting her answer for now. Akira looked at Rukia and nodded his head. Somehow he was sure that there was more to it then that but didn't press her. She was clearly keeping something from them, he just wasn't sure what. Whatever it was he sensed that it was personal so didn't pry. He respected people's privacy so he wouldn't push, for now anyway.

"Alright!" she said, taking on the voice of a drill Sargent. "Lets go. We'll go to the park. That should give us plenty of room to practice and we should be in a good position if any hollows show up since we'll be in the middle of town."

"Got'cha!" Akira replied. He was excited. He and Ichigo had agreed that the only way that either of them would improve was if they sparred while in Shinigami form. Rukia had been a little hesitant at the idea but had finally come around. What could it hurt? Besides, it could only help right?

"Alright," Rukia said, climbing onto Ichigo's back like she had that first time Ichigo had gone out to fight a hollow. "Just follow Ichigo's lead and try not to put too much reiatsu into your feet or you'll hurt yourself."

"Okay," Akira replied, watching Ichigo carefully. Ichigo tossed a smirk over his shoulder before leaping out the window. Akira followed quickly behind him and together the three of them made their way to the park.

-o0o-

The park was deserted when they arrived, not surprising considering how late it was. The only creatures around were a few crickets and the odd cat prowling for food. An occasional creaking sound was heard as a light breeze blew and caused a swing to move.

"You ready?" Ichigo asked, allowing Rukia to climb off his back so he could grab his sword. Akira nodded, grasping the hilt of his own sword and easily sliding it out of the sheath at his back. The blade of the sword was a light silver, the same silvery color as the sash that kept the sheath in place. It seemed fitting and it went perfectly with the hilt and grip of the sword. He swung the blade experimentally, testing the weight and balance of it before nodding his head. It felt comfortable in his grasp and that was a good thing. The worst situation to be in was when you had a sword that didn't suit you, he'd learned that much through observation even if he hadn't trained with one himself.

Meanwhile Ichigo unsheathed his own sword and got into a, slightly sloppy according to Rukia, stance. Akira braced himself and tilted his body slightly extending the hand with his sword outwards in front of him. He wasn't sure what he was doing but he figured that he'd wing it for now.

"Begin!" Rukia called.

Immediately Ichigo leapt forward, his huge sword raised above his head as he charged Akira. Akira didn't have long to react and instinctually brought his blade up and blocked Ichigo's blade. A shock went through his arm and he almost collapsed from the force of the blow. Damn it but Ichigo was strong when he used that big ass sword! He knew he wasn't nearly as strong as Ichigo was, that was a given and he was smaller too. He needed to think logically. Ichigo smirked at him before attacking, this time going for a jab. Akira dodged out of the way and rolled to the side to avoid a follow up strike. Despite his poor form Ichigo was vicious with that blade of his. He was strong but his attacks were slightly slower than Akira's dodging.

'That's it!' the raven haired teen thought. 'If I can't overpower him then I'll catch him off guard.' Akira set his plan into motion immediately. He pretended to attack Ichigo, jabbing his sword at Ichigo's left side. Ichigo immediately brought up his blade to block it but at the last second Akira changed direction, aiming for the right side. If Ichigo's sword hadn't been so big then he wouldn't have been able to stop it.

"Good!" Rukia shouted from the side lines. "Don't hold back either of you! How will you improve if you hold back!"

"You heard her Ichigo," Akira said with a smirk. "Lets have some fun."

"You got it," Ichigo replied before charging again. Akira quickly moved out of the way, seemingly to flow almost as he moved. Rukia was impressed. Akira stabbed at Ichigo's right side before changing direction again and going for the left. Ichigo had anticipated it this time though and quickly blocked him almost effortlessly.

"Can't fool me twice," Ichigo smirked as he and Akira leapt apart, their blades raised in front of them. Ichigo was in an offensive stance and Akira had taken up a defensive position.

"We'll see about that," Akira replied before shifting his weight and leaping into the air, his sword raised as he aimed for Ichigo's head. Ichigo quickly brought his blade up and blocked it but he was pushed back with the force of the attack. He wasn't expecting Akira to try that strategy, so far he'd been defensive mostly. 'Good,' Akira thought as he leapt back again. 'If he doesn't know what I'll do then he can't block.' Akira didn't know however that Ichigo was thinking the same thing. He may not be as fast as his younger brother but he was a bit stronger and he'd try and use it to his advantage in this.

"Ready or not here I come!" Ichigo yelled as he charged forward, swinging his sword in what he personally thought was a very convincing beginner's error, he'd left himself wide open for Akira on purpose. Akira, seeing a chance, bounded forward and tried to go for Ichigo's exposed left side. Ichigo had planned it right though for as soon as Akira got within range he quickly raised his left leg and tried to kick Akira's legs out from under him. Akira's eyes widened as he realized what Ichigo meant to do and quickly jumped out of the way before retreating.

They were both panting heavily now, sweat coating their foreheads as they stared each other down across the park. Rukia's eyes moved from Akira to Ichigo. She didn't think that they'd be this skilled. She had to admit that she was impressed. Akira had mentioned that they'd taken martial arts lessons when they were younger and continued it until they were about the age of twelve. She supposed that it'd paid off. They weren't used to fighting with swords but they were doing very well, adapting their fighting styles to suit their swords.

Akira panted as he stared at Ichigo. There had to be a way to get the upper hand. Then it came to him, it was so obvious that he nearly smacked himself on the forehead. How could he have forgotten about his magic? Taking a deep breath he rushed Ichigo, moving quickly and lightly over the ground as he sped towards the taller teen. He raised his sword as if to deliver a slice to Ichigo's right side. Ichigo, seeing what he thought Akira was trying to do, raised his sword and made to block the attack. Akira smirked and quickly shot his left hand forward and yelled a spell. "Ketsugo Suru!" (bind together). He aimed for Ichigo's legs and they snapped together immediately. Ichigo lost his balance and quickly plummeted face first into the dirt, his sword falling beside him as he let go of it from shock.

Rukia stifled her laughter at the sight of Ichigo's magnificent face plant. 'Well,' she thought with amusement. 'I did tell them not to hold back.'

Akira released the spell and Ichigo quickly jumped to his feet, a scowl on his face.

"How the hell is that fair!" he demanded as he sheathed his sword, glaring at the still laughing Rukia and grinning Akira.

"No fight's fair Ichigo," Akira said flippantly as he too sheathed his blade. "You're the one that taught me that remember?" Rukia couldn't help chuckling as Ichigo and Akira bickered playfully for a while longer. It made hre with that her and Byakuya could be more like that, more like a real family. She shook this thought from her head though. That wasn't likely to happen. Byakuya wouldn't even look at her, never mind interact with her with such warmth and playfulness as Ichigo and Akira did. She closed her eyes, lost in thought.

She was quickly brought out if it however as her soul pager began to ring. She quickly took it out from her pocket and checked it.

"We've got a hollow!" she called over to them. They immediately came over to her and Akira peered at the screen.

"How far?" he asked.

"Not too far," Rukia replied. "It shouldn't take us too long, lets go!"

With that the three of them quickly headed in the direction the hollow signature had been detected. They didn't bother to jump from roof to roof, the hollow wasn't far away and it'd be just as quick running. It barely took them five minutes before they saw the hollow.

It was a dark mold green in color and shaped like a disfigured insect. Akira made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat as he stared at it.

"Should I fight it or do you want a shot?" Ichigo asked.

"I'll have a go," Akira said, drawing his sword. "If it looks like I'm gonna get cut up again then feel free to step in okay?"

"Got it," Ichigo nodded before Akira rushed forward and quickly, before the hollow knew what happened, stabbed the thing in one of the hind legs. It howled in pain as black hollow blood gushed from the wound as Akira quickly drew his blade out again before jumping back. The thing turned and Akira got a good look at the face. The usual hollow mask covered the head although this one had two brown triangles on each cheek pointing inwards towards the nose. It was definitely one of the uglier hollows he'd had the misfortune to come accross. He was just glad that he could actually do something about it now. He didn't bother with his magic, it didn't work on hollows anyway for some reason. He'd need to rely on his sword for this one. He quickly assessed his surroundings. They were in a pretty open area although there were a few buildings near by that he could use to gain height as there were a few ledges that he'd be able to stand on. An idea began to form in his mind.

The hollow roared before charging at him blindly. Akira quickly dodged, his speed had definitely improved since he left his body, and jabbed at the hollow, piercing another leg. This wasn't any good, he needed to get it in the head if he wanted to take care of it. Then he saw it, the ledge just above the hollow's head.

'Perfect,' he thought.

He quickly jumped, pushing reiatsu into his feet to give himself an extra boost. He landed safely on the ledge. The hollow tried to swipe at him but it wasn't tall enough. Akira felt like being a little childish and stuck his tongue out at the hollow. It growled and jump, trying to get him again, it was then that Akira made his move. Quickly leaping off the ledge he brought his sword down as hard as he could on the hollow's head. It couldn't stop him as it's arms were raised and to the side as it had been trying to grab Akira. The hollow shrieked as Akira's blade pierced it's skull, the blade cleaving cleanly through the demonic looking mask.

"Nice going Akira!" Ichigo called. Akira grinned before sheathing his blade. He could still feel adrenaline rushing through his body. He felt light headed. He felt good though, really good. Rukia smiled at him.

"Nicely done Akira," she said, congratulating him. He'd done well, better than a lot of rookies did on their first try.

None of them noticed the figure watching them from afar. The figure studied them as they left the area, Ichigo and Akira talking animatedly and Rukia just behind them, throwing the odd comment in here or there. The figure raised his hand and pushed his glasses up his nose as he studied them. His eyes narrowed.

He hated Shinigami.

-o0o-

"Not again!" Akira moaned. This made it, how many times exactly, that they'd gone after a hollow and had arrived to find no hollow present. This was getting beyond ridiculous! At first it wasn't that much of a big deal. The soul pager was a machine and they did occasionally make a mistake but after the fifteenth time Akira had begun to think that something else was wrong. They'd get a signal from the Soul Pager and either he or Ichigo would answer it. Then they'd get to where the pager said the hollow was and discover that it wasn't there and then the soul pager said that it was all clear. It was very odd. At least with both him and Ichigo as Shinigami they were able to come up with more plausible excuses and only one of them had to go with Rukia so it wasn't Ichigo all the time, that threw the teacher's so they didn't question it. That was most definitely a good thing. Akira wasn't sure how many more times they could get away with the same old excuses. Occasionally Ichigo and Akira would go and leave Rukia behind, the short raven haired Shinigami giving them her glove so that one of them could leave their body without needing her there.

"I just don't get it!" Rukia said frustrately as she stared at the soul pager. "It's working fine!"

"Are you sure?" Akira asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I'm positive," Rukia answered. "I'll take it to Urahara," she muttered, almost too low for Akira to hear. "Maybe he'll know what to do."

"Who's Urahara?" he asked curiously. Rukia silently cursed, she'd thought she'd spoken too quietly for him to hear her. 'Can't deny it now,' she thought. She sighed and faced him.

"Urahara is who provided me with my Gigai and also with the glove."

Akira nodded at that. It only made sense that there was someone in the human world who could provide for Shinigami when they got in trouble (He doesn't know that Urahara is an exile yet).

"When'll you go and see him?"

"Soon," she answered, glaring at the soul pager as it beeped again. "And if this keeps up then it'll be sooner than I'd hoped."

Akira sighed as they headed in the direction of the new alert. If this kept up he was sure he'd accidentally blow something up, preferably the soul pager.

-o0o-

"I'll meet you two back here," Rukia said as she began to walk away from them. They'd just had their first official encounter with Uryū Ishida, a 'Quincy' that had a hatred for Shinigami. She needed to talk to Urahara and she needed to talk to him now!

"Where are you going?" Akira asked, looking at her. He thought he had an idea but it was better to ask.

"For some information," she replied before turning and beginning to walk away. She turned her head and said over her shoulder, "I'll see you two back at the house."

"Meet you there Ichigo!" Akira called as he began to chase after Rukia.

"Where're you going?" Ichigo demanded, annoyed that he was being left behind.

"To find something!" Akira called back before running after Rukia. It wasn't a lie. He was going to find something, he was going to find out where Rukia was going. "I'll see you later!"

"Whatever," Ichigo muttered before turning and beginning to head back to his house, tucking the glove that Rukia had quickly tossed at him in his pocket. They only had one of them and Ichigo would most likely need it the most if he ran into a hollow.

Akira managed to catch up with Rukia just as she reached a cross roads. Good thing too or he might not have been able to follow her.

"What do you want?" she asked, giving him a hard look.

"I want to come with you," he said simply, as if it were obvious. In a way it was obvious but Rukia ignored that fact for now and gave Akira a hard look.

"Why exactly do you want to come with me?" she asked, staring at him carefully, assessing him.

"I'm curious," Akira admitted honestly. "That and I was wondering if I could ask him if I could get one of those gloves, only one isn't enough for the both of us."

Rukia had to admit that he was right about that. What if one of them ran into a hollow and the other wasn't around. That wouldn't be a problem if Urahara had managed to get her the correct product but she'd worry about that later. She thought about it before sighing and looking back at Akira.

"Fine," she said reluctantly. "You can come."

Akira smiled at her before they turned right and Rukia directed them to Urahara's shop.

-o0o-

"Kuchiki-san!" Urahara said brightly as she entered his shop again, Akira following close behind her. He took in the shop, shelves full of every day items. He squinted at a packet of something and noticed that it was a few days past it's sell by date. "What brings you back here so soon? And with a friend too! Who's this?"

"Urahara, meet Akira Kurosaki. Akira, this is Kisuke Urahara,"

"Nice to meet you," Akira said, offering the blonde haired man his hand. Urahara took it in a firm grip and smiled at Akira, his eyes hidden beneath his green and white striped hat.

"Nice to meet you Akira-kun!" Urahara said lightly. "Not often I see a wizard Shinigami about."

Akira gave Rukia a startled look but Urahara waved his hand dismissively, as if denying that Rukia was the reason he knew. That was perfectly true after all.

"Don't worry," Urahara said. "I know all about the wizard community. I was quite surprised that you'd like Kuchiki-san in on the secret though."

Akira stared at Urahara hard, assessing if the man was lying or not. His emerald eyes tried to fix on Urahara's eyes but they couldn't. Half of Urahara's face was in shadow after all, covered by that damn hat.

"Now," Urahara continued. "What can I do for you two today?"

"Firstly," Rukia began, all business. "I need another glove."

"Sure!" Urahara said, turning to a shelf behind him a fishing in a box. "I've got two designs in right now, the blue rabbit or the green snake."

"The snake," Akira said quickly before Rukia could open her mouth. He'd carry this glove around and there was no way he'd be walking around with a rabbit on it. Urahara gave him a knowing look while Rukia shot him a glare but didn't protest. She would have liked to get the rabbit but oh well, she'd get the rabbit soul candy soon enough.

Urahara turned around with a glove in his hand. The glove was a dark green in color and engraved on it was a silver outline of a snake with silver eyes and green body. The snake's hood was flared and it was colored a slightly darker silver. It's mouth was open slightly to reveal two rows of sharp silver teeth. Akira had to admit that he liked the design. Urahara passed it over the counter and Akira quickly slipped it over his right hand. It fit perfectly.

"Anything else?" Urahara asked.

"Yes actually," Rukia answered. "What can you tell us about Quincies?"

-o0o-

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed as he slashed another hollow's mask in half. Why the hell had he agreed to this? He'd thought that Ishida would challenge him to a fight one on one. Not this! The guy was nuts! Didn't he know how many people would get hurt because of that stupid stunt he'd pulled with the hollow bait! No, the guy had to be so arrogant, so stupid as to believe that he was strong enough to protect everybody!

"The next time I see that guy," Ichigo muttered to himself. "I'll show him where he can stuff his hollow bait."

Another hollow came up behind him and he quickly dodged it's swipe at him before spinning in mid air and cleaving the mask in two quickly with his sword.

He heard another howl close by and quickly sped up, not noticing the gash in the sky behind him.

-o0o-

Akira and Rukia ran through the streets of Karakura searching for Ichigo. There were hollows everywhere and Akira had quickly dumped his body and was in his Shinigami form, his dark green and silver, leather like boots thumping on the ground as he ran. Where the hell had they all come from?

"I'll give you two guesses who caused this," Akira panted as he ran. "And the first two don't count."

"Why would Ishida do this though?" Rukia asked, her voice coming in slight gasps as she ran. "It doesn't make any sense."

"We'll know when we find him," Akira answered. "Do you sense anything?"

"No," Rukia replied. The pair slowed to a stop and took a look around themselves. They were about three or four blocks from the park. "There are so many hollows...I can't focus on a single reiatsu above the others, not even yours or Ichigo's."

'Damnit,' Akira thought. 'That's that plan out the window.' They needed to calm down, to think rationally. "Rukia, do you know what could have drawn the hollows here? There are so many of them, there was a lot before but this is just ridiculous."

"I'm not sure," Rukia replied, biting her lip as she thought. "Why would anyone want to draw hollows though? It just doesn't make any sense!"

"When we find Ishida we'll ask him," Akira replied. Just then they heard a howl not far off before they sensed a surge of spiritual pressure. "That way!"

They quickly took off again, weaving in and out of people as quickly as they could. I twasn't that important for Akira to do this, people couldn't see him after all but Rukia was solid so there was a risk of bumping into people for her so she had to be careful. As they got nearer the howling sound the reiatsu got stronger.

"It's Ichigo!" Akira said. "I'm sure of it!"

As they reached the source of the reiatsu they caught sight of Ichigo and Ishida taking out hollows left and right. Ichigo was shouting at Ishida but they couldn't make out what the orangette was saying. The Quincy shouted something back and Ichigo said something that Akira vaguely recognized as a swear. Akira took a deep breath before drawing his sword and leaping into the fight beside Ichigo, cutting hollows down left right and center.

"What the hell is going on Ichigo?" Akira demanded after cleaving a hollow in half. "What the hell did you and Ishida do?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" Ichigo demanded indignantly. He received a look from Akira and dropped the act. "Fine," he muttered. "Ishida challenged me."

"To what?" Akira demanded, quickly dodging a hollow while he talked and stabbed it in the forehead before dragging his blade down it's face.

"I thought he meant a fight," Ichigo admitted. "Instead he pulled out this hollow bait and then this happened!"

"Hollow bait," Rukia whispered. She couldn't help with the fighting, she was too weak. "Where would he have gotten hollow bait? I hadn't even considered...but there was no reason to. Who is this Quincy?"

-o0o-

"Okay," Tatsuki said, glaring at the strange man with the weird green coat and striped hat. "You have just under five seconds to tell me what the hell is going on or I will use those clogs of yours to kick your ass!"

"Easy, easy," Urahara said, waving his fan in front of his face and tipping his hat to shade his eyes. "I'm not here to fight."

"Well you must be the only one," Tatsuki snapped. She was right. For roughly the last hour strange creatures had been popping up all over the place. First they'd been hard to make out, just vague blobs in mid air that no one else could see. Then they got clearer until she could see them all perfectly. They were grotesque! They were all different sizes, shapes and colors but they all had one thing in common, they all had a mask as white as bone covering their face. Her head hurt, it was like something was trying to push itself in front of her eyes, wanting her to remember something but she couldn't. Something was stopping her from remembering something, something important. She didn't like it and when she didn't like something she took it out on whoever was nearest, that was Urahara.

"That's why I'm here," Urahara answered her. "I think I have the answers to some of your questions."

"Oh really?" Tatsuki demanded, glaring at him. "Prove it!"

"Not a problem," Urahara replied, tipping his hat. "Just follow me, we need to fetch Inoue-san and Sado-san first."

"What do they have to do with this?" Tatsuki replied, her protective instincts kicking in when Inoue's name was mentioned. Inoue was like a little sister to her and she'd be damned if she let her little sister get hurt. She'd protect Orihime. Just because Sora wasn't around anymore didn't mean that Orihime wouldn't have a protector.

"They've got just as much stake in this as you," Urahara said calmly. "Do you want answers or not?"

Tatsuki debated with herself for a moment before sighing. She knew that this had something to do with Ichigo and Akira, she just wasn't sure what. The thought of Akira just made her big sister instincts kick in all the more. Plus there was the fact that since Ichigo was involved then Orihime would go along with this guy whatever she did. She trusted Chad but she'd rather be there to protect Orihime herself. Finally she sighed and stared at Urahara, meeting his gaze firmly with her own.

"Lets go."

-o0o-

They found Chad in the park, slightly tired after fighting off a hollow with the help of Ichigo's younger sister, Karin. He'd gone with them and then they'd had to find Inoue. That had taken longer but when they did finally find her she was crouching over the body of an unconscious Chizuru. Tatsuki felt a flare of anger that Chizuru would go anywhere near Orihime but then she paused and took in the scene before her. Chizuru was unconscious and Tatsuki was sure she could see a slight pool of blood under Chizuru's head. She quickly ran forwards and crouched beside Orihime.

"Tatsuki," Orihime said quietly. "She, she was almost gone."

"Was?" Tatsuki asked. Orihime modded and pointed at her blue hair clips.

"I healed her," Orihime said quietly. "She was b-bleeding and I...I healed her."

"How?" Tatsuki demanded.

"These," Orihime said, pointing at her clips again.

"You can explain later Inoue-san," Urahara said, interrupting the conversation between Orihime and Tatsuki. "Right now there's something you should see."

After making sure that Chizuru was indeed alright the four of them headed in the opposite direction, Urahara staying quiet as he guided the three teenagers to their destination. Finally they reached a small bridge with a good view of Karakura.

"Okay," Tatsuki said slowly, looking at Urahara. "Why are we here?"

"Just stay here and watch," Urahara said, a mischievous smile passing across his half hidden face. "Lets just say that what you're about to see will ensure that you're lives are never the same again. You can choose to ignore it but it will always be there, in the back of your mind, in front of your eyes, everywhere. It's your choice what to do, not mind."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!" Tatsuki demanded but Urahara didn't pay her any attention, he was just staring up at the sky thoughtfully.

"Just watch and see," he said cryptically before turning and walking away.

"Get back here!" Tatsuki yelled and made to go after him but a big hand on her shoulder held her back. She turned to see Chad looking down at her calmly.

"I think we should listen to him," the giant said simply. Tatsuki stared at him for a moment before huffing and shrugging off his hand. She'd wait, for now anyway. Orihime gasped and the other two turned to see what had caught her attention. Tatsuki's mouth opened wide in shock as she saw what Orihime was staring at.

There was a rip in the sky, a big rip. it stretched for many meters and was a deep black in color. How the hell could the sky be cracking?

"What, what is that thing?" she whispered.

"I think we're about ti find out," Chad answered, staring hard at the sky. "And something tells me that it has something to do with Ichigo and with Akira."

-o0o-

"Ishida, you bloody idiot!" Akira shouted at the Quincy as he attacked another hollow. "What the hell were you thinking? Do you know how many people will get hurt because of this!"

"What are you talking about Shinigami?" Ishida demanded. "I've kept the whole city safe, no thanks to you you pathetic Shinigami."

"Think again!" Akira shot back. "Do you know how many bodies I saw on my way over here?" Ishida didn't answer, just paused long enough to give Akira an incredulous look. Was the guy that arrogant? Did he really think that his little stunt wouldn't cause any casualties. Well, Akira was about to burst his little bubble. "There were a lot! I couldn't count them all but I lost track after the seventeenth body!"

"The...seventeenth?" Ishida breathed, his eyes widening. Had he caused that? No, it was impossible. He'd challenged Kurosaki and Kurosaki had accepted his challenge. It wasn't his fault that the idiot couldn't protect anyone...or was it? Kurosaki had thought he was talking about a fight, not a hollow killing competition. No, it wasn't his fault! It was the damn Shinigami! It was their fault! It was always their fault! It was the stupidity and arrogance of the Shinigami that got his grandfather killed!

"Hey, what's that?" Ichigo sudden voice cut through Ishida's internal rant. Both the Quincy and the wizard Shinigami looked to where Ichigo was pointing. Akira's eyes widened. There was a crack in the sky, a solid black gash running across the pale blue sky.

"No," Akira heard Rukia mutter, her face pale and her mouth hanging open as she stared at the crack. "It can't be, not here, not now!"

"What is it?" Akira demanded.

"A Menos," Rukia said quietly, "A Menos Grande."

'Shit,' Akira thought. 'Whatever that is it can't be good.'

-o0o-

"What the HELL is THAT thing!" Tatsuki demanded as she stared at the huge shadowy figure that was emerging from the tear in the sky. Her head was pounding more furiously than ever and she clutched it with her left hand, gripping a railing tightly with her right.

"I don't know,! Orihime whispered. "It's a lot bigger then the other ones."

"You can see them? Chad asked, his deep voice not giving much away as he stared down at the two girls.

"Yeah," Tatsuki replied. "Don't know what they are though."

Her headache was increasing in size and she turned back to the big shape that had finished emerging. Damn it, why did her head hurt so much?

"It's...it's like before," Orihime whispered. "That night."

"What night?" Tatsuki demanded.

Orihime looked at her, a puzzled look on her face.

"You don't remember yet?"

"Remember what?"

"That night at my house, my brother came back as one of those, those things. Remember! You pushed him back when he tried to hurt me."

Tatsuki's eyes widened and all of a sudden her mind was assaulted with images, her and Orihime sitting in Orihime's house chatting, the snake like Sora bursting through the window, her pushing Orihime back and facing the thing, Ichigo coming to protect them...

She clutched her head with pain as the true memories pushed through the false ones and she knew, she remembered.

"That guy is gonna have some explaining to do," Tatsuki muttered, glaring in the direction of the huge blob thing. "Some serious explaining to do."

"I second that," Chad murmured in his usual deep voice.

"Yeah," Orihime chimed in. "Akira too!"

-o0o-

"Damn Quincy," Akira muttered as he quickly leapt backwards. The Menos was huge! How the hell were they supposed to beat something the size of Bloody Big Ben! Again he silently cursed the stupidity of the Quincy. This was bad, this was very very bad.

"We need to do something fast," Ishida muttered. "Before it does too much damage."

"You think?" Akira said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. "I would have never thought of that! Good work Ishida!" The Quincy in question glared spitefully at him before fixing his gaze on the Menos again.

-o0o-

"They can't handle this," Rukia muttered. She was a few yards behind the trio of fighters and her gaze was fixed solely on them. "They aren't strong enough."

"I wouldn't be so sure Kuchiki-san," came a voice from behind her. Rukia turned quickly and saw Urahara behind her, his usual fan waving in front of his face, acting for all the world like this was a casual occurrence. "They'll do just fine."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Rukia demanded hotly. "Ichigo and Akira haven't even reached their Shikai!"

"I don't think they'll need it," Urahara said offhandedly.

"What makes you say that?"

"That," Urahara said casually, pointing his fan over Rukia's shoulder. Rukia quickly spun around her her eyes almost bugged out of her head at the sight that greeted her.

-o0o-

"What the hell?" Tatsuki exclaimed. They hadn't just seen it, they'd felt it from all the way over here. They hadn't been able to make out any details of what had happened for from what they'd seen someone had charged the huge-ass monster and destroyed it. "How the hell did he do that?"

"You're guess is as good as mine Tatsuki-chan," Orihime said, staring wide eyed. It had been Ichigo, she was sure of it. Not too far above them a black cat sat, watching their reactions. The cat blinked lazily as it looked over to where the Menos had once stood. Power was still flowing and if it had to guess then it would say that the substitute Shinigami's reiatsu had gotten out of control.

The cat stood, it's tale swishing back and forth before it quickly hopped onto another roof and took off on silent as snow paws towards the flaring reiatsu. Something told the cat that things were going to get more interesting soon. Well, more interesting then they already were with a Substitute Shinigami and a Sub Wizard Shinigami around that is.

-o0o-

Ichigo panted, the last of the flaring reiatsu dispersing around him. He looked at Ishida, the Quincy's arms were torn and he'd definitely be in a lot of pain for the next few days.

"Ichigo!" came Akira's voice. Ichigo turned to find Akira running towards him quickly. Akira reached him, panting slightly and quickly bent to inspect his older brother, checking for injuries that he could heal.

"I'm fine," Ichigo said quickly. "Ishida might need some help though." Akira cast his gaze in the direction of the Quincy. Ishida had fallen to his knees and was gasping heavily and clutching one arm with the other. Akira cursed before quickly drawing his wand and heading over to the Quincy. He didn't like to let the Quincy in on his magic but if he didn't then the idiot could get an infection. There were a lot of wounds on his arm and if they weren't treated then they could be fatal and he wasn't going to have the death of the idiot hanging over his head.

"Here," he said quietly. "Let me bandage those up so you don't get an infection." Before Ishida had a chance to protest Akira had lifted his wand. "Hōtai de tsutsumu!" (Wrap in Bandages) Ishida's eyes went wide as a thick bandage issued from the tip of Akira' wand and wrapped around his arm firmly, not so tight as to restrict blood blow but tight enough to ensure that it would not move around or come lose.

"What exactly are you?" Ishida asked, his voice low as he stared at Akira.

"That," Akira replied, standing and offering a hand to Ishida. "Is something you don't need to know. You have your secrets, Ichigo and I have ours."

"Fair enough," the Quincy admitted before allowing Akira to pull him to his feet. He stood on slightly shaky legs before turning his back on the pair and walking away.


	8. Not A Chapter But A Note

_**-Notes-**_

Alright, this isn't an update per-say. I went back and did all the grammar check, mind you there were A LOT of grammar errors, and I decided to go back and double check everything. Because I wrote this when I was half asleep and when I am half asleep majority of the spelling dies.

I got some ideas on where this is going to go. But bear with me I have to find my notebook that I have my outline in, I am not sure exactly where it is right now and I don't remember offhand on what I wrote by memory.

Now that is out of the way…

I shall give a little heads up on those who review.

 **Shadow Wolf 15846:** "nice! can't wait for the next chapter!"

 **Safiruu:** "On hold till I find my notebook."

 **Kydomos:** "good story but Harry/Akira needs a more active role."

 **Safiruu:** "Thank you!, but as I said to Shadow Wolf 15846 this is on hold till I can find my notebook."

 **Guest:** "Good story have you ever thought of pairing harry with Ichigo?"

 **Safiruu:** "Thank you! Actually I have not. As I see it right now there is no romance between them. They love each other more like siblings. Perhaps maybe later on, so right now there isn't any pairings so to speak but I will keep that in mind. Thank you for the idea though.

Well until I find my notebook this is all I have. I do want to continue this but since I don't want to mess it up without my notebook I shall leave it as it is. IF I can't find my notebook I'll have to wing it.

So thank you all for enjoying this as it is so far!

- _ **Safiruu**_


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